THE 



CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 



OR 



THE CONNECTION OF 



SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 



WITH 



RELIGION* 



ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS, 



BY 

THOMAS DICK, 

,r"!liob of a variety of literary and scientific c03bu 
tions in Nicholson's philosophical journal, the 

ANNALS OF TIIILOSOPHY. &C. &C. 



FOURTH AMERICAN EDITION 



NEW-YORK: 

(<. & 0. & H. CARVILL, 108 BROADWAY 

1829, 







H. C. Sleight, Printer, New- York 



ro 



DAVID BREWSTER, LL. D, 

Fellow of the Royal Society of London ; Secretary to 
the Royal Society of Edinburgh ; Honorary Member 
of the Royal Irish Academy ; Member of the Royal 
Swedish Academy of Sciences ; Honorary Associate 
of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lyons, &c. &c. 

THIS VOLUME, 

Intended to illustrate the connection of science and 
philosophy with religion, and with the moral improvement 
of mankind, is inscribed, as a testimony of respect for 
the acquisitions which science has derived from his phi- 
losophical discoveries and literary labors, by his most 
obedient, and humble servant, 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE 

TO THE FOURTH EDITION. 



The following pages were written under the impression, 
that the visible manifestations of the attributes of the 
Deity are too frequently overlooked by Christians in their 
views of the great objects of Religion, and in the worship 
they offer to the Father of their spirits ; and are intended 
to show, that the Teachers of Religion, in imparting in- 
struction either to the old or to the young, ought to em- 
brace a wider range of illustration, in reference to Divine 
subjects, than that to which they are usually confined. 

Throughout the whole of the discussions contained in 
this work, the Author has pursued his own train of thought j 
and, in so doing, he trusts that he has been enabled to 
render some of his illustrations more interesting to the 
young and untutored mind, than if he had adhered rigidly 
to the sentiments of others, and to the technical language 
of science. The sketches of the different sciences are 
not mere extracts or compilations, but are, for the most 
part, original composition — in which it has been his main 
object to embody as many facts as his limits would permit 
— in order to excite the inquiring mind to further investi- 
gations into the different departments of physical science. 

It is presumed, that no Christian reader will for once 
imagine, that the views illustrated in this work are intended 
to be substituted in place of the peculiar revelations of the 
Bible. The object of the volume is to illustrate the har- 
mony which subsists between the system of nature and the 
system of Revelation ; and to show, that the manifesta- 
tions of God in the material universe ought to be blended 
with our views of the facts and doctrines recorded in the 
volume of Inspiration. 

It is taken for granted, throughout the whole range of 
the following illustrations, that the Scriptures contain u 

1* 



VI 

Revelation from Heaven ; and, under a firm belief of this 
important truth, the Author has embellished his work with 
frequent quotations from the energetic and sublime lan- 
guage of this Sacred Book. It would, therefore, be un- 
fair in any critic, who entertains doubts on this point, to 
find fault with such quotations, or with the allusions to 
Bible -phraseology which occur, unless they can be shown 
to be introduced without judgment or discrimination. 

The Author has carefully revised every portion of the 
present Edition, and introduced a variety of corrections 
and modifications. He has likewise introduced additional 
matter, to the extent of between 40 and 50 pages, and also 
several illustrative engravings. In its present form, the 
Author trusts, that, independently of the moral reflections 
it contains, it will be found to comprise popular descrip- 
tions of a greater number of scientific facts, than is to be 
found in any other volume of the same size. 

Various topics, originally intended to be illustrated, have 
been unavoidably omitted. Some of these are stated in 
the last paragraph of Chapter IV, the illustration of which, 
in combination with other kindred topics, would fill a vo- 
lume of nearly the same size as the present. This sub- 
ject (for which the Author has abundance of materials) 
will be prosecuted in another Volume, under the title of The 
Philosophy of Religion; and will comprise, among 
many other subjects of discussion, illustrations of the mo- 
ral relation of intelligent beings to their Creator, and to 
one another— the physical and rational grounds of those 
moral laws which the Deity has promulgated — the views 
which science affords of the incessant energies of Crea- 
ting Power, and of the grand and multifarious objects 
over which Divine Providence presides — the relation of 
science to a future state, and of the aids which the disco- 
veries of science afford, for enabling us to form a concep- 
tion of the perpetual improvement of the celestial inha- 
bitants in knowledge and felicity. These subjects will bo 
illustrated by a variety of interesting details of facts, in 
relation to the system of nature, the history of nations, 
and the moral state of Christian and general society. 

Perth, December, 1824. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Introduction, . lo 

Necessity of Revelation. Folly of discarding the science 
of Nature from Religion. Beneficial effects which flow 
from the study of the Works of God. 

CHAP- I. 

Of the Natural Attributes of the Deity. 

•Sect. 1. On the Revelation of the Natural Attributes of 
the Deity to Religion, 26 

The Christian religion founded on the Natural Attributes of 
God. His Po*ver as interesting a subject as his Mercy — Il- 
lustrated in two instances. Evils which arise from imper- 
fect conceptions of Divine Power. Defects in Religious In- 
struction on this subject. Sources of Illustration. 
-r»ECT. 2. Illustrations of the Omnipotence of the Deity, 33 

The material world exhibits a more striking display of this 
Perfection than the supernatural facts recorded in Scrip- 
ture. Immense quantity of Matter in the universe. Mode 
of acquiring the most comprehensive conception of the 
bulk of the Earth — its variety of scenery — its mass of so- 
lid matter. Magnitude of the bodies which compose the 
Solar System. Magnitude and number of the Stars. Pro- 
cedure of the mind in acquiring the most impressive con- 
ceptions of such august objects — Reflections. Rapid Mo- 
tions vf the Celestial Bodies. How we acquire the ideas 
of relative velocities — weight of the Earth — immense phy- 
sical forces — Grandeur of +he motion of Saturn — immense 
: mmber of Bodies impelled through the heavens — Reflec- 
tions. Immense Spaces which surround the Heavenly Bodies 
— Reflections. Popular illustration of the Motions of the 
Earth and Heavens. Extract from Dr. Ridgely, with Re- 
marks. Universe intended to adumbrate the Attributes of 
God, and to make a sublime impression on created beings. 
Similar trains of thought suggested in the Scriptures. Mo- 
ral Effects of such contemplations. Humility. Folly of 
pride — low rank of man in the scale of being. Reverence 
and Veneration — Reason why mankind feel so little vene- 
ration of God — how it may be increased. The Deity un~ 
searchable. Hope and Confidence in the prospect of futu- 
'■— Resurrection — Scenes of Eternity* 



8 

Sect. 3. On the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deity, 60 
Wisdom defined — Displayed in the Structure oi' the Solar 
System. Distance of the Sun. Rotation of the Planets 
— Principal reason why such a motion exists. Wis- 
dom displayed in other Systems. Minute displays of 
this attribute cannot be traced in the heavens. Wis- 
dom, as displayed in the constitution of our globe— ad- 
justment of its solid parts to the necessities of the beings 
■which inhabit it. Mountains, their uses — exist in other 
worlds. Diversity of color — argument for a plurality of 
worlds — -general color which prevails in the scene of na- 
ture. Water, its use in the system of nature — its composi- 
tion, evaporation — motion of the liquid element — its bene- 
ficial eiiects. The Atmosphere — its weight and pressure — 
its component parts — its various properties — necessary to 
animal life, flame, sound, twilight — wisdom displayed in its 
constitution. Expansion of water in the act of freezing. 

Variety of Nature, 8i> 

Vegetables — their number and variety. Animals — variety 
in their organization. Eyes of Insects — their exquisite me- 
chanism. Subterraneous Regions. Atmosphere. The 
Variety of Nature affords a faint idea of the infinity of the 
Creator. Illustrated in the number of animal parts and 
functions. Reflection. Variety the foundation of our judg- 
ments. Beauty and sublimity of Nature. Primeval state 
of our globe — other worlds. 

Mechanism of Animated Beings, 9k 

Structure of the Human Eye — its coats, humors, muscles, 
orbit, and motions. Wisdom displayed in its construction. 
Light—its velocity, mmuteiiess, colors, and adaptation to 
the eye. Manner in which Vision is performed — ex- 
plained by a figure, and au experiment — illustrated by the 
view from Salisbury Crags. Multitude of rays which 
flow from every object — smallness of the image on the re- 
tina, illustrated by calculation — what proportion of the 
solar light falls on our globe — 'Reflections. Mechanism for 
viewing near and distant objects — contraction and dilata- 
tion of the pupil — distance at which we see distinctly, 
Summary view of adaptations in the structure of the eye. 
Eyes of superior intelligences. Visual organs of the infe- 
rior animals. Mechanism of the Bones illustrated — exem- 
plified in the joints of the fingers, the wrist, and the move- 
ments of whici ^he head is susceptible. Moral Reflections 
on the impropriety of overlooking the Divine Wisdom in 
the system of nature. 

Sb:cT. 4. On the Goodness or Benevolence of the Deity, 124 
Benevolence of God in relation to Man — considered as a de 
praved intelligence. Mercy displayed in the system of na- 
ture. Benevolence as displayed towards the lower ani- 
mals. Extract from Dr. Paley. General Reflections. 



CHAP. II. 

A cursory view of some of the Sciences which are related 
to Religion and Christian Theology. 

Introduction. Extensive range of Theology. Bad effects of 
setting Religion m opposition to Science. Harmony of the 
operations of God in Nature and Revelation. . . . 131 

Natural History, 134 

Its extensive range. Outline of its principal objects — on the 
surface , and in the interior recesses of the earth — in the at- 
mosphere — the vegetrble, mineral, and animal kingdoms — 
and in the region of the heavens. Description of the Ba- 
nian Tree. Reflections. Monkey Bread Tree. Splen- 
dor and felicity of insect life. Invisible worlds — infinity of 
the universe. Religious tendency of this Science. It af- 
fords a manifestation of the Deity, and expands our con- 
ceptions of his operations — ennobles the human mind. Re- 
commended by the Sacred writers. 

Geography, ... 15 i 

Its object — Figure of the Earth — Proofs of its spherical form. 
Relation which the discovery of the figure of the Earth 
bears to the plan of Providence. Magnitude and natural 
divisions of the earth. General features of its surface. 
Mountains* — thair general ranges, and the sublime scenes 
they exhibit. The Ocean — its extent, depth, bottom, and 
motions. Rivers — their number, size, and the quantity of 
water they pour into the ocean. How they are supplied — 
their use in the system of nature. Artificial division of the 
earth. Number and variety of its inhabitants. Number 
which has existed since the creation — number at the resur- 
rection, uid the space they would occupy. Number which 
the earth would contain — strictures o r i Malthus. Utility 
of the study of Geograplty to Religion — to Directors of 
Missionary Societies — to Private Christians. Grandeur of 
its physical objects — utility of its moral facts. 

Geology, • 177 

Its object and connexion with religion — an interesting subject 
of inquiry. Materials which compose the crust of our 
globe. Various geological phenomena. Organic remains 
— Mammoth, Tapir, Elk, Megatherium, &e. Geological 
deductions not inconsistent with the Mosaic History — Ge- 
nesis i. 1,2. explained. Short duration of the earth in its 
present form. The Deluge, and its effects on the earth's 
strata. Marine shells, &c. Grand and terrific objects 
which this science exhibits — illustrate the sublime descrip- 
tions of the Deity recorded in the Scriptures. 

\stronomy, 190 

Its sublime objects. Apparent motions of the Sun — of the 
Moon. Eclipses of the Sim and Moon. Apparent mo- 



10 

tion of the starry heavens. Stars and planets seen in the 
day-time, and with what powers of the telescope they may 
be distinguished, Apparent revolution of the celestial 
vault indicates Almighty power. Stars never shift their 
relative positions. Solar System. The Sun — his size and 
probable destination illustrated — his spots and atmosphere 
— different kind of rays emitted from his body — his distance 
illustrated. Mercury — his size, rotation, quantity of light, 
and heat, &c. Proportions of caloric on the different pla- 
nets. Venus — her size, phases, mountains, transits, and ge- 
neral phenomena. Original observations on, and mode by 
which, her diurnal rotation may be determined. Earth — 
proofs of its annual and diurnal motions. The Moon — de- 
scription of her majestic mountain scenery, luminous spots, 
celestial appearances, illuminating power, superficial con- 
tents, Sic. Mars — -his distance, dtmosphere, luminous zone, 
&c. New Planets — Ceres, Palias, Juno, and Vesta — ■ 
their anomalies, singularities, and probable origin. Me- 
teoric Stones. Jupiter — his bulk, rotation, belts, and the 
appearances of his moons. Saturn — his figure, belts, moons, 
and quantity of light. His Rings, their dimensions, mo- 
tion, and phenomena — illustrated by a figure. Splendor 
of the firmament, as viewed from this planet (see thr: en- 
graving). Herschel — hi> distance, size, and quantity of 
light. Comets — their tails, velocity, orbits, size, aud num- 
ber. New Comet. Motion of the solar system in absolute 
space — its destination — plurality of worlds intimated in 
Scripture. The Fixed Stars — their distance illustrated — 
their arrangement, changes — moral reflections. Relation 
of Astronomy to Religion — moral effects which its objects 
have a tendency to produce — criminality of overlooking the 
works of God, &c. 

Natural Philosophy, 228 

Its objects and different departments. ..lechanics — subjects it 
embraces, and its importance to the improvement of man- 
kind. Hydrostatics — its leading principles and uses, illus- 
trated by figures. Pneumatics — its principles, and the ex- 
periments by which they are illustrated. Acoustics. Op- 
tics — leading facts and principles of this science ; Burning- 
glasses, &c. Electricity — its nature, phenomena, effects, 
and agency in the system of nature. Galvanism — its sin- 
gular effects on metals. &c. and on the animal system — 
various facts which it explains. Magnetism — its various 
phenomena and effects. Relation of Natural Philosophy 
to Religion — its inventions meliorate the condition of man- 
kind — illustrated in the case of the electric fluid — it under- 
mines the influence of superstition — unfolds the inces- 
sant agency of God — indifference to this subject unreason- 
able. 

Chemistry, 241' 

Its objects, and present dignified station, General forms of 



II 

matter — simple and compound substances. Caloric — its 
sources and properties. Oxygen, its properties and combi- 
nations — nitrous oxide, its singular effects. Nitrogen, its 
effects on flame and animal lite. Hydrogen, its properties 
and uses. Carbon, its nature, combinations, and antiscep- 
tiC properties. Sulphur, its origin, combinations, and pro- 
perties. Phosphorus, history of its discovery — how pre- 
pared — curious experiment? with this substance — Phospho- 
ric phenomena in the system of nature. Connection of this 
science with Religion — it displays the wisdom and benevo- 
lence of God, and the mode of his present and future ope- 
rations — improves the condition of man — and carries for- 
ward our views to a more glorious and auspicious era. 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY, . . 264 

Their general object — human body, its different parts and di- 
visions. Bones, their number, form, and positions. Mus- 
cles, their nature, use, and extraordinary strength. Heart 
and blood vessels, and the circulation of the blood. Respi- 
ration — curious structure cf tiie lungs. Digestion. Per- 
spiration. Sensation, and the system of nerves. Summary. 
Moral reflections — this branch of study teaches us our de- 
pendance on a superior power — and excites to gratitude. 

History, 275 

Its objects, advantages, and connection with Religion. Con- 
nection of the sciences and of the Divine dispensations with 
each other. Concluding remarks. 

CHAP. III. 

The relation which the inventions of Art bear to the 
objects of Religion, 

Art of Printing, its origin, and beneficial effects — Dr. Church's 
improvements in, 280 

Art of Navigation — Mariner's Compass, its discovery and 
use, 283 

The Telescope, its invention, and the discoveries made by it — 
serves instead of a celestial vehicle — Magnifying powers of 
Dr. Herschel's telescopes, 287 

The Microscope, and the views it exhibits of the wisdom 
of God, 290 

Steam Navigation, its utility in promoting the intercourse of 
mankind, and its relation to the objects of religion, . . 292 

Air Balloons, utility of, when arrived at perfection — proposed 
improvement in. History of their invention — Lunardi's 
ascent — the Parachute, 294 

A coustic Tunnels. Experiments on the Conveyance of sound. 
M. Biot T s remarkable experiment — Don Gautier's experi- 
ment and suggestion. Conclusions in reference to the ex- 
tensive conveyance of sound, 298 



12 

Practical remarks — utility of the arts in relation to the Mil- 
lenial era, . ' . 303 

CHAP- IV. 

Scriptural facts illustrated from the System of Nature. 

I. Science may frequently serve as a guide to the true inter- 
pretation of Scripture. Canon or rule for Scripture inter- 
pretation — illustrated, ... . . 309 

II. The Depravity of Man illustrated, from a consideration of 
the state of the interior strata of the earth. Volcanoes, and 
the terrible ravages they produce. Earthquakes, and their* 
dreadful effects. Thunder-storms, tempests, and hurri- 
canes. General Reflections on this subject, . . 312 

III. The Resurrection illustrated. Transformations of In- 
sects. Indestructibility of matter — conclusions from this 
fact, 322 

IV. General Conflagration. Concluding reflections. Topics 
omitted in this volume, 325 

CHAP. V. 

Beneficial Effects which would result from connecting 
Science with Religion. 

I. The variety of topics would allure the attention of intelli- 
gent mind3 to religious subjects. Principle of novelty in- 
tended by the Creator to be gratified — illustrated in the 
variety which appears in the earth, the heavens, and the Vo- 
lume of Revelation, 329 

II. Science enables us to take an extensive survey of the em- 
pire of God — illustrates many sublime passages of the Bi- 
ble — qualifies us for complying with several Divine inj unc- 
tions — danger of selfishness and indifference in this respect 
Our conceptions of God depend on our views of the extent 

of his dominions, . 334 

III. Science enlarges our views of the operations of Provi- 
dence, in relation to the past and present scenes of the 
world. The economy of the inferior animals. The physi- 
cal and moral economy of the celestial worlds, . . 344 

IV. Science, blended with Religion, would produce a general 
expansion of mind, and liberality of views — in reference to 
the opinions and actions of men, and to the works and the 
ways of God — illustrated at large, , . . .353 

V. It would induce a spirit of piety, and profound humility. 
Sources of piety — illustrated by an example. Humility — 
illustrated by the examples ot Mr. Boyle, of Sir Isaac New- 
ton, and of superior iflte&i^enees. General conclusions. 561 



13 
APPENDIX. 

No. I. Illustration of the rate of motion in the heavenly bo- 
dies, on the supposition that the earth is at rest, . . 367 
No. II. Experimental illustrations of the pressure of the At- 
mosphere, ..... . . . 369 

No. III. On the means by which it may probably be ascer- 
tained whether the Moon be a habitable world, . . 370 
No. IV. Remarks on the late pretended discovery of a Lunar 

fortification, 372 

No. V. Qn the ideas of Magnitude, Motion, and Duration, as 
expressed by numbers, ...... 374 

No. VI. On a Plurality of Worlds, .... 375 

No. VII. On the first Inventor of Printing, . . . 378 
No. VIII. On Telescopes ; with a brief notice of a New Re~ 
fleeting Telescope constructed by the Author, . . 378 

No. IX. On Steam Navigation, 382 

No. X. Strictures on a certain sentiment respecting human 

redemption, 387 

No. XI. Extract from Dr. Dwight, .... 390 

No. XII. List of Popular Works on the different Sciences 
treated of in this Volume, with Occasional Remarks, . 391 

EXPLANATION OF THE ENGRAVING, 

{Fronting the Title,) 

The five figures on the upper part of the plate, marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 
&c. represent the planets, Herschel, Saturn, Jupiter, the Earth, and 
Moon, in their relative sizes and proportions ; together with tele- 
scopic views of the belts and rings of Saturn, and the belts of Ju- 
piter. The two figures immediately below, marked 5 and 6, are in- 
tended to illustrate the description given of the eye, pp. 98 — 116. 
Fig. 5. represents a front view of the human eye. Fig. 6. repre- 
sents a section of it, exhibiting the three coats and the three humours 
of which it is composed. Fig. 7. represents a rude view of the ap- 
pearance which the rings and moons of Saturn will exhibit, in cer- 
tain cases, as beheld from a point 20 or 30 degrees north from his 
equator, see pp. 212, 213. The shade on the upper part of the 
rings represents the shadow of the body of Saturn, as it appears upon 
the rings about midnight, 



THE 



CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 



INTRODUCTION. 

On the subject of religion, mankind have in all ages been 
prone to run into extremes. While some have been dispo- 
sed to attach too much importance to the mere exertions of 
the human intellect, and to imagine that man, by the light 
of unassisted reason, is able to explore the path to true 
wisdom and happiness, — the greater part of religionists, on 
the other hand, have been disposed to treat scientific know- 
ledge, in its relation to religion, with a degree of indiffe- 
rence, bordering upon contempt. Both these dispositions 
are equally foolish and preposterous. For he who exalts 
human reason as the only sure guide to wisdom and feli- 
city, forgets that man, in his present state, is a depraved 
intelligence, and consequently liable to err ; and that all 
those who have been left solely to its dictates, have uni- 
formly failed in attaining these desirable objects. During 
a period of more than 5,800 years, the greater part of the 
human race have been left solely to the guidance of their 
rational powers, in order to grope their way to the Temple 
of Knowledge, and the Portals of Immortality ; but what 
has been the result of all their anxious researches ? In- 
stead of acquiring correct notions of the Great Author of 
their existence, and of the nature of that homage which 
is due to his perfections, " they have become vain in their 
imaginations, and their foolish hearts have been darkened. 



IG INTRODUCTION. 

Professing themselves to be wise, they have become fool* : 
and have changed the glory of the Incorruptible God into 
an image made like to corruptible man, and to four-footed 
beasts, and creeping things." Instead of acquiring cor- 
rect views of the principles of moral action, and conduct- 
ing themselves according to the eternal rules of recti- 
tude, they have displayed the operation of the most dia- 
bolical passions, indulged in continual warfare, and deso- 
lated the earth with rapine and horrid carnage ; so that 
the history of the world presents to our view little more 
than a series of revolting details of the depravity of our 
species, and of the wrongs which one tribe of human be- 
ings has wilfully inflicted upon another. 

This has been the case, not only among a few unculti- 
vated hordes on the coasts of Africa, in the plains of Tar- 
tary, and the wilds of America, but even among those na- 
tions which stood highest in the ranks of civilization and 
of science. — The ancient Greeks and Romans, who 
boasted of their attainments in philosophy, and their pro- 
gress in the arts, entertained the most foolish, contradic- 
tory, and unworthy notions of the Object of Divine wor- 
ship, of the requirements of religion, and of the eternal 
destiny of man. They adored a host of divinities cha- 
racterized by impiety, fraud, injustice, falsehood, lewd- 
ness, treachery, revenge, murder, and every other vice 
which can debase the human mind, instead of offering a 
tribute of rational homage to that Supreme Intelligence 
who made, and who governs the universe. Even their 
priests and philosophers indulged in the most degrading 
and abominable practices, and entertained the most irra- 
tional notions in regard to the origin of the universe and 
the moral government of the world. Most of them denied 
a future state of retribution, and all of them had their 
doubts respecting the reality of an immortal existence : 
and as to the. doctrine of a resurrection from the dead. 



INTRODUCTIOxX. 15 

they never dreamed of such an event, and scouted the 
idea, when proposed to them, as the climax of absurdity. 
The glory to which their princes and generals aspired, 
was, to spread death and destruction among their fellow- 
men — to carry fire and sword, terror and dismay, and all 
the engines of destruction through surrounding nations — 
to fill their fields with heaps of slain — to plunder the sur- 
vivers of every earthly comfort, and to drag captive kings 
at their chariot wheels — that they might enjoy the splen- 
dor and the honors of a triumph. What has now been 
stated, with regard to the most enlightened nations of anti- 
quity, will equally apply to the present inhabitants of Chi- 
na, of Hindostan, of the Japanese Islands, of the Birman 
Empire, and of every other civilized nation on which the 
light of revelation has never shone—with this additional 
consideration, that they have enjoyed an additional pe- 
riod of 1800 years for making farther investigations ; and 
are, at this moment, as far from the object of their pursuit 
as when they first commenced their researches ; and not 
only so, but some of these nations, in modern times, have 
mingled with their abominable superstitions and idolatries, 
many absurdities and horrid cruelties, which were alto- 
gether unknown among the Greek and Roman population. 
Such are the melancholy results to which men have 
been led, when left to the guidance of unassisted reason, 
in the most interesting and important of all investigations. 
They have wandered in the mazes of error and delusion : 
and their researches, instead of directing and expanding 
our religious views, have tended only to bewilder the hu- 
man mind, and to throw a deeper shade of intellectual 
gloom over our apostate world. After a period of six 
thousand years has been spent in anxious inquiries after 
the path to true knowledge and happiness — Ignorance, 
Superstition, Idolatry, Vice, and Misery, still continue to 

2* 



IS INTRODUCTION. 

sway their sceptre over a great majority of the human 
race ; and, if we be allowed to reason from the past to 
the future, we may rest assured, that while mankind are 
destitute of a Guide superior to the glimmerings of de- 
praved reason, they would be no nearer the object of their 
pursuit, after the lapse of sixty thousand years, than at the 
present moment. It is only in connection with the disco- 
veries of Revelation that we can expect, that the efforts 
of human reason and activity will be successful in abolish- 
ing the reign of Ignorance and degrading Superstition — 
in illuminating the benighted tribes of the Pagan World— 
and in causing " Righteousness, and Order, and Peace, to 
spring forth before ail the nations." Though the Chris- 
tian Religion has never yet been fully understood and re- 
cognised, in all its aspects and bearings, nor its require- 
ments been cordially complied with, by the great body of 
those w T ho profess to believe in its Divine origin, yet it is 
only in those nations who have acknowledged its authori- 
ty, and in some measure submitted to its dictates, that any 
thing approximating to just conceptions of the Supreme 
Intelligence, and of his moral government, is found to 
prevail. 

But on the other hand, though the light of nature is of 
itself a feeble and insufficient guide to direct us in our 
views of the Supreme Intelligence, and of our eternal des- 
tination, yet it is a most dangerous and delusive error to 
imagine, that Reason, and the study of the material world, 
ought to be discarded from the science of religion. The 
man who would discard the efforts of the human intellect, 
and the science of Nature from Religion, forgets— that 
He who is the Author of human redemption, is also the 
Creator and Governor of the whole system of the material 
universe — that it is one end of that moral renovation which 
the Gospel effects, to qualify us for contemplating aright, 
the displays of Divine Perfection which the works of 



INTRODUCTION. 1 & 

creation exhibit — that the visible works of God are the 
principal medium by which he displays the attributes of his 
nature to intelligent beings — that the study and contem- 
plation of these works employ the faculties of intelligences 
of a superior order* — chat man, had he remained in pri- 
meval innocence, would have been chiefly employed in 
such contemplations — that it is one main design of Divine 
Revelation to illustrate the operations of Providence, and 
the agency of God in the formation and preservation of all 
things — and that the Scriptures are full of sublime descrip- 
tions of the visible creation, and of interesting references 
to the various objects which adorn the scenery of Nature. 
Without the cultivation of our reasoning powers, and an 
investigation of the laws and economy of Nature, we 
could not appreciate many of the excellent characters, 
the interesting aspects, and the sublime references of re- 
vealed religion : we should lose the full evidence of those 
arguments by which the existence of God and his attri- 
butes of Wisdom and Omnipotence are most powerfully 
demonstrated : we should remain destitute of those sub- 
lime conceptions of the perfections and agency of Jeho- 
vah which the grandeur and immensity of his works are 
calculated to inspire : we should never perceive, in its 
full force, the evidence of those proofs on which the Di- 
vine authority of Revelation is founded ; we could not 
give a rational interpretation of the spirit and meaning of 
many parts of the Sacred Oracles ; nor could we comph 
with those positive commands of God which enjoin us to 
contemplate the wonder of his power, to " meditate on all 
his works, \nd talk of all his doings/' 

Notwithstanding these and many other considerations, 
which show the folly of overlooking the visible manifes- 
tations of Deity in the exercises of Religion, it has lona 



* Rev. iv. 11. xv. 3, &c. 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

been the practice of certain theologians to depreciate the 
wonderful works of Jehovah, and to attempt to throw them 
into the shade, as if they were unworthy of our serious 
contemplation. In their view, to be a bad philosopher is 
the surest way to become a good Christian, and to ex- 
pand the views of the human mind is to endanger Chris- 
tianity, and to render the design of religion abortive. 
They seem to consider it as a most noble triumph to the 
Christian cause, to degrade the material world, and to 
trample under foot, not only the earth, but the visible hea- 
vens, as an old, shattered, and corrupted fabric, which no 
longer demands our study or admiration. Their expres- 
sions in a variety of instances, would lead us almost to 
conclude that they considered the economy of Nature as 
set in opposition to the economy of Redemption, and that 
it is not the same God that contrived the system of Na- 
ture, who is also the " Author of eternal salvation to all 
them that obey him." 

It is, unquestionably, both foolish and impious to over- 
look or undervalue any of the modes by which the Di- 
vine Being has been pleased to make known his nature 
and perfections to mankind. Since he has given a display 
of his " Eternal Power and Godhead" in the grand thea- 
tre of nature, which forms the subject of scientific inves- 
tigation, it was surely never intended, and would ill com- 
port with reverence for its adorable Author, that such 
magnificent displays of his Power, Wisdom, and Benefi- 
cence, as the material universe exhibits, should be treat- 
ed, by his intelligent offspring, with indifference or neg- 
lect. It becomes us to contemplate, with adoring grati- 
tude, every ray of our Creator's glory, whether as emana- 
ting from the light of Revelation, or as reflected from the 
scenery of nature around us, or as descending from those 
regions where stars unnumbered shine, and planets and 
comets run their solemn rounds. Instead of contrasting 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

the one department of knowledge with the other, with a 
view of depreciating the science of nature, our duty is, to 
derive from both as much information and instruction as 
they are calculated to afford ; to mark the harmony of the 
revelations they respectively unfold ; and to use the reve- 
lations of nature for the purpose of confirming, and am- 
plifying, and carrying forward our views of the revelation 
contained in the Sacred Scriptures. 

With regard co the revelation derived from the Sacred 
Records, it has been imagined by some that it has little 
or no reference to the operations of the material system, 
and that, therefore, the study of the visible works of God 
can be of little importance in promoting religious know- 
ledge and holy affections. In the sequel of this volume, 
I shall endeavor to show that this sentiment is extremely 
fallacious and destitute of a foundation. But in the 
mean time, although it were taken for granted, it would 
form no argument against the combination of science with 
religion. For it ought to be carefully remarked, that Di- 
vine Revelation is chieflv intended to instruct us in the 
knowledge of those truths which interest us as subjects of 
the moral administration of the Governor of the world, — 
or, in other words, as apostate creatures and as moral 
agents. Its grand object is to develope the openings and 
bearings of the plan of Divine Mercy ; to counteract 
those evil propensities and passions which sin has intro- 
duced ; to inculcate those holy principles and moral law^ 
which tend to unite mankind in harmony and love ; and 
to produce those amiable tempers and dispositions of 
mind, which alone can fit us for enjoying happiness ei- 
ther in this world or in the world to come. For this rea- 
son, doubtless, it is, that the moral attributes of Deit) 
are brought more prominently into view in the Sacred Vo- 
lume, than his natural perfections ; and that those special 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

arrangements of his Providence, which regard the moral 
renovation of our species, are particularly detailed ; while 
the immense extent of his universal kingdom, the exist- 
ence of other worlds, and their moral economy, are but 
slightly hinted at, or veiled in obscurity. Of such a Re- 
velation we stood in need ; and had it chiefly embraced 
subjects of a very different nature, it would have failed in 
supplying the remedies requisite for correcting the disor- 
ders which sin has introduced among mankind. — But 
surely it was never intended, even in a religious point of 
view, that the powers of the human mind, in their con- 
templations and researches, should be bounded by the 
range of subjects comprised in that revelation which is 
purely, or chiefly, of a moral nature ; since the Almighty 
has exhibited so magnificent a spectacle in the universe 
around us, and endued us with faculties adequate to the 
survey of a considerable portion of its structure, and ca- 
pable of deducing from it the most noble and sublime re- 
suits. To walk in the midst of this " wide extended thea- 
tre," and to overlook, or to gaze with indifference on those 
striking marks of Divine Omnipotence and skill which 
every where appear, is to overlook the Creator himself, 
and to contemn the most illustrious displays he has given 
of his eternal power and glory. That man's religious de- 
votions are much to be suspected, whatever show of piety 
he may affect, who derives no assistance, in attempting to 
form some adequate conceptions of the object of his wor- 
ship, from the sublime discoveries of astronomical science ; 
from those myriads of suns and systems which form but 
a small portion of the Creator's immense empire !* The 

+ As some readers seem to have mistaken the Author's meaning in 
this and similar passages, it may be proper to state that his meaning 
is not — that a knowledge of natural science is essential to genuine 
piety ; but, that the person who lias an opportunity of making himself 
acquainted icith the science of nature and of contemplating the won- 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

professing Christian, whose devotional exercises are not 
invigorated and whose conceptions of Deity are not ex- 
panded by a contemplation of the magnitude and variety 
of his works, may be considered as equally a stranger to 
the more elevated strains of piety, and to the noble emo- 
tions excited by a perception of the beautiful and the sub- 
lime. 

" The works of the Lord," says an inspired writer, 
" are great, and are sought out by all those who have plea- 
sure therein." They all bear the stamp of Infinite Per- 
fection, and serve as so many sensible mediums to exalt 
and expand our conceptions of Him, whose invisible glo- 
ries they represent and adumbrate. When contemplated 
in connection with the prospects opened by Divine Reve- 
lation, they tend to excite the most ardent desires after 
that state of enlarge'd vision, where the plans and opera- 
tions of Deity will be more clearly unfolded — and to pre- 
pare us for bearing a part in the immortal hymn of the 
church triumphant : — u Great and marvellous are thy 
works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, 
thou King of Saints." The most illustrious characters 
that have adorned our race in all ages, have been struck 
with the beauty and magnificence of the visible creation, 
and have devoted a certain portion of their time and at- 
tention in investigating its admirable economy and ar- 
rangement : and there can be no question that a portion of 
our thoughts, devoted to the study of the wondrous works of 
the Most High, must ultimately be conducive to the improve- 
ment of our intellectual powers, to our advancement in 
the Christian life, and to our preparation for the exalted 
employments of the eternal world. 

In fine, since the researches of modern times have great - 

ders of the heavens in their true light, and who does not find his view- 
of the Creator expanded, and his religious emotions elevated by such 
studies, has reason to call in question the nature and the sincerity of 
his devotional feelings. 



24 INTRODUCTION. 

ly enlarged our views of the System of Universal Nature* 
and of the vast extent to which the operations of the Crea- 
tor are carried on in the distant regions of space, — since 
the late discoveries of Naturalists and Experimental Phi- 
losophers, with respect to the constitution of the atmo- 
sphere, water, light, heat, the gases, the electric, galvanic, 
and magnetic fluids, and the economy and instincts of ani- 
mated beings, have opened to our view a bright display of 
Divine Wisdom, in the contrivance and arrangement of the 
different parts of our terrestrial habitation, — since im- 
provements in the useful arts have kept pace with the pro- 
gress of science, and have been applied to many benefi- 
cial purposes, which have ultimately a bearing on the in- 
terests and the progress of religion — since a general de- 
sire to propagate the truths of Christianity in Heathen 
lands now animates the mass of the religious world — since 
the nations of both Continents are now aroused to burst 
asunder the shackles of despotism, and to inquire after ra- 
tional liberty and mental improvement, — and since all 
these discoveries, inventions, and movements, and the 
energies of the human mind, from which they spring, are 
under the direction and control of that Omnipotent Being 
who made, and who governs the world — they ought to be 
considered as parts of those Providential arrangements, 
in the progress of which he will ultimately accomplish the 
illumination of our benighted race, and make the cause of 
righteousness and truth to triumph among all nations. 
And, therefore, the enlightened Christian ought thankfully 
to appreciate every exhibition, and every discovery by 
which his conceptions of the attributes of God, and of the 
grandeur of his works, may be directed and enlarged, in 
order that he may be qualified to " speak of the honor 
of his majesty, and talk of his power ; to make knowii 
to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious ma- 
jesty of his kingdom." 



CHAPTER I. 

OF THE NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY, 

WITH PARTICULAR ILLUSTRATIONS OF 

HIS OMNIPOTENCE AND WISDOM. 



Section I. 

On the Relation of the Natural Attributes of Deity to Religion 



A firm conviction of the existence of God, and a compe- 
tent knowledge of his natural perfections, lie at the founda- 
tion of all religion, both natural and revealed. In propor- 
tion as our views of the perfections of Deity are limited 
and obscure, in a similar proportion will be our conceptions 
of all the relations in which he stands to his creatures, of 
every part of his providential procedure, and of all the 
doctrines and requirements of revealed religion. 

By the natural or essential attributes of God, we under- 
stand such perfections as the following : — His Eternity, 
Omnipresence, Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Wisdom, Om- 
nipotence, and Boundless Benificence. These are the 
characters and attributes of Deity, which, we must sup- 
pose, form the chief subjects of contemplation to angels, 
and to all other pure intelligences — and, in investigating 
the displays of which, the sons of Adam would have been 
chiefly employed, had they continued in primeval inno- 
cence. These attributes form the groundwork of all those 
gracious relations in which the God of salvation stands to 
his redeemed people in the economy of redemption — they 
lie at the foundation of the whole Christian superstructure 
— and were they not recognized as the corner stones of 
that sacred edifice, the whole system of the Scripture- 
Revelation would remain a baseless fabric. The full dis- 
play of these perfections will be exhibited in the future 
world — the contemplation of this display will form one of 

3 



26 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

the sublime employments " of the saints in light" — and to 
prepare us for engaging in such noble exercises, is one of 
the chief designs of the salvation proclaimed in the Gos- 
pel. 

The Christain Revelation ought not to be considered as 
superseding the Religion of Nature, but as carrying it 
forward to perfection. It introduces the Deity to us un- 
der new relations, corresponding to the degraded state into 
which we have fallen. It is superadded to our natural 
relations to God, and takes it for granted, that these na- 
tural relations must for ever subsist. It is true, indeed, 
that the essential attributes of God, and the principles of Na- 
tural Religion, cannot be fully discovered without the light 
of Revelation, as appears from the past experience of 
mankind in every generation ; but it is equally true, that, 
when discovered by the aid of this celestial light, they are 
of the utmost importance in the Christian system, and are 
as essentially connected with it, as the foundation of a 
building is with the superstructure. Many professed 
Christians, however, seem to think, and to act, as i^ the 
Christian Revelation had annulled the natural relations 
which subsist between man and the Deity ; and hence the 
zealous outcry against every discussion from the pulpit, 
that has not a direct relation to what are termed the doc- 
trines of grace. But nothing, surely, can be more absurd 
than to carry out such a principle to all its legitimate con- 
sequences. Can God ever cease to be Omnipotent, or 
can man ever cease to be dependent for existence on his 
infinite power] Can the Divine Being ever cease to be 
Omnipresent and Omniscient, or can man ever cease to be 
the object of his knowledge and superintendence ? Can 
Infinite Wisdom ever be detached from the Almighty, or 
can man ever be in a situation where he will not expe- 
rience the effects of his wise arrangements? Can Good- 
ness ever fail of being an attribute of Jehovah, or can any 
sentient or intelligent beings exist that do not experience 
the effects of his bounty ? In short, can the relation of 
Creature and of Creator ever cease between the human 
race, in whatever moral or physical situation they may be 
placed, and that Almighty Being, " who giveth to all, life 
and breath, and all things ?" If none of these things can 



NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 27 

possibly happen, then the relations to which we refer must 
be eternal and unchangeable, and must form the basis of 
all the other relations in which we can possibly stand to 
the Divine Being, either as apostate or as redeemed crea- 
tures ; and, therefore, they ought to be exhibited as sub- 
jects for our frequent and serious contemplation, as reli- 
gious and moral agents. But, unless we make such to- 
pics a distinct subject of attention, and endeavor to ac- 
quire clear and comprehensive conceptions of our natural 
relations to God, we can never form a clear conception of 
those new and interesting relations into which we have 
been brought by the mediation of Jesus Christ. 

If man had continued in his primitive state of integrity, 
he would have been for ever exercised in tracing the Pow- 
er, the Beneficence, and other attributes of Deity, in the 
visible creation alone. Now that his fallen state has ren- 
dered additional revelations necessary, in order to secure 
his happiness, — is he completely to throw aside those con- 
templations and exercises which constituted his chief em- 
ployment, while he remained a pure moral intelligence ? 
Surely not. One great end of his moral renovation, by 
means of the gospel, must be, to enable him to resume 
his primitive exercises, and to qualify him for more en- 
larged views and contemplations of a similar nature, in 
that future world, where the physical and moral impedi- 
ments which now obstruct his progress will be completely 
removed. 

It appears highly unreasonable, and indicates a selfish 
disposition of mind, to magnify one class of the Divine 
attributes at the expense of another ; to extol, for ex- 
ample, the Mercy of God, and neglect to celebrate his 
Power and Wisdom — those glorious perfections, the dis- 
play of which, at the formation of our globe, excited the 
rapture and admiration of angels, and of innocent man. 
All the attributes of God are equal, because all of them 
are infinite ; and therefore to talk of darling attributes in 
the Divine Nature, as some have done, is inconsistent with 
reason, unwarranted by Scripture, and tends to exhibit a 
distorted view of the Divine character. The Divine mercy 
ought to be celebrated with rapture by every individual oi 
our fallen race ; but with no less rapture should we extol 



28 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

the Divine Omnipotence ; for the designs of mercy cannof 
be accomplished without the intervention of Infinite Pow- 
er. All that we hope for, in consequence of the promises 
of God, and of the redemption accomplished by Jesus 
Christ, must be founded on the conception we form of the 
operations of Omnipotence. — An example or two may not 
be unnecessary for illustrating this position. 

We are warranted, by the sacred oracles, to entertain 
the hope, that these mortal bodies of ours, after they have 
mouldered in the dust, been dissolved into their primary 
elementary parts, and become the prey of devouring rep- 
tiles, during a lapse of generations or of centuries, — shall 
spring forth from the tomb to new life and beauty, and be 
arrayed in more glorious forms than they now wear ; yea. 
that all the inhabitants of our globe, from Adam to the 
end of time, though the bodies of thousands of them have 
been devoured by cannibals, have become the food of 
fishes and of beasts of prey, and have been burnt to cin- 
ders, and their ashes scattered by the winds, over the dif- 
ferent regions of sea and land, — shall be reanimated by 
the voice of the Son of God, and shall appear, each in his 
proper person and identical body, before God, the Judge 
of all. Now, the firmness of our hope of so astonishing 
an event, which seems to contradict all experience, and 
appears involved in such a mass of difficulties and appa- 
rent contradictions, must be in proportion to the senti- 
ments we entertain of the Divine Intelligence, Wisdom, 
and Omnipotence. And where are we to find the most 
striking visible displays of these perfections, exept in the 
actual operations of the Creator, within the range of our 
view in the material world ? 

Again, we are informed, in the same Divine records, 
that, at some future period, the earth on which we now 
dwell shall be wrapt up in devouring flames, and its pre- 
sent form and constitution for ever destroyed ; that its re- 
deemed inhabitants, after being released from the grave, 
shall be transported to a more glorious region ; and that 
"new heavens and a new earth shall appear, wherein 
dwelleth righteousness." The Divine mercy having given 
to the faithful the promise of these astonishing revolutions, 
and most magnificent events, our hopes of their being 



NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 29 

Billy realized must rest on the infinite wisdom and om- 
nipotence of Jehovah; and, consequently, if our views of 
these perfections be limited and obscure, our hope in re- 
lation to our future destiny, will be proportionably feeble 
and languid; and will scarcely perform its office "as an 
anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast." It is not 
merely by telling a person that God is All-wise, and All- 
powerful, that a full conviction of the accomplishment of 
such grand events will be produced. He must be made 
to see with his own eyes what the Almighty has already 
done, and w hat he is now doing in all the regions of uni- 
versal nature which lie open to our inspection ; and this 
cannot be effected without directing his contemplations to 
those displays of intelligence and power which are exhi- 
bited in the structure, the economy, and the revolutions 
of the material world. 

If the propriety of these sentiments be admitted, it will 
follow, that the more we are accustomed to contemplate 
the wonders of Divine intelligence and power, in the ob- 
jects with which we are surrounded, the more deeply shall 
we be impressed with a conviction, and a confident hope, 
that all the purposes of divine mercy will ultimately be 
accomplished in our eternal felicity. It will also follow, 
that, in proportion as the mind acquires a clear, an exten- 
sive, and a reverential view of the essential attributes ot 
the Deity, and of those truths in connection with them, 
which are objects of contemplation common to all holy 
beings, in a similar proportion will it be impressed, and its 
attention arrested, by every other divine subject connected 
with them. And it is, doubtless, owing to the want of 
such clear and impressive conceptions of the essential cha- 
racter of Jehovah, and of the first truths of religion, that 
the bulk of mankind are so little impressed and influenced 
by the leading doctrines and duties connected with the 
plan of the Gospel salvation, and that they entertain so 
many vague and untenable notions respecting the charac- 
ter and the objects of a superintending Providence. How 
often, for example, have we witnessed expressions of the 
foolish and limited notions which are frequently enter- 
tained respecting the operations of Omnipotence? When 
• t has been asserted that the earth, with all its load of con- 

3* 



SO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tinents and oceans, is in rapid motion through the voids 
of space — that the sun is ten hundred thousand times 
larger than the terraqueous globe— and that millions of 
such globes are dispersed throughout the immensity of 
Nature — some who have viewed themselves as enlightened 
Christians, have exclaimed at the impossibility of such 
facts, as if they were beyond the limits of Divine Power, 
and as if such representations were intended to turn away 
the mind from God and religion ; while, at the same time, 
they have yielded a firm assent to all the vulgar notions 
respecting omens, apparitions, and hobgoblins, and to the 
supposed extraordinary powers of the professors of divi- 
nation and witchcraft. How can such persons assent 
with intelligence and rational conviction, to the dictates 
of Revelation respecting the energies of Omnipotence 
which will be exerted at " the consummation of all things," 
and in those arrangements which are to succeed the disso- 
lution of our sublunary system ? A firm belief in the Al- 
mighty Power and unsearchable wisdom of God, as dis- 
played in the constitution and movements of the material 
world, is of the utmost importance, to confirm our faith, 
and enliven our hopes, of such grand and interesting 
events. 

Notwithstanding the considerations now stated, which 
plainly evince the connection of the natural perfections of 
God with the objects of the Christian Revelation, it ap- 
pears somewhat strange, that, when certain religious in- 
structors happen to come in contact with this topic, they 
seem as if they were beginning to tread upon forbidden 
ground ; and, as if it were unsuitable to their office as 
Christian teachers, to bring forward the stupendous works 
of the Almighty to illustrate his nature and attributes. 
Instead of expatiating on the numerous sources of illustra- 
tion, of which the subject admits, till the minds of their 
hearers are thoroughly affected with a view of the essential 
glory of Jehovah — they despatch the subject with two or 
three vague propositions, which, though logically true, 
make no impression upon the heart ; as if they believed 
that such contemplations were suited only to carnal men, 
and mere philosophers; and as if they were afraid, lest 
the sanctity of the pulpit should be polluted by particular 



NATURAL ATTRIBUTES. OF THE DEITY. 31 

descriptions of those operations of the Deity which are 
perceived through the medium of the corporeal senses. 
We do not mean to insinuate, that the essential attributes 
of God, and the illustrations of them derived from the ma- 
terial world, should form the sole, or the chief topics of 
discussion in the business of religious instruction — but, if 
the Scriptures frequently direct our attention to these sub- 
jects — if they lie at the foundation of all accurate and ex- 
tensive views of the Christian Revelation — if they be the 
chief subjects of contemplation to angels, and all other 
pure intelligences, in every region of the universe — and if 
they have a tendency to expand the minds of professed 
Christians, to correct their vague and erroneous concep- 
tions, and to promote their conformity to the moral cha- 
racter of God — we cannot find out the shadow of a reason, 
why such topics should be almost, if not altogether, over- 
looked, in the writings and the discourses of those who 
profess to instruct mankind in the knowledge of God, and 
the duties of his worship. 

We are informed by our Saviour himself, that " this is 
life eternal, to know thee the living and true God," as 
well as " Jesus Christ whom he hath sent." The know- 
ledge of God, in the sense here intended, must include in 
it the knowledge of the natural and essential attributes of 
the Deity, or those properties of his nature by which he is 
distinguished from all " the idols of the nations." Such 
are, his Self-existence, his All-perfect Knowledge, his 
Omnipresence, his Infinite Wisdom, his Boundless Good- 
ness, and Almighty Power — attributes, which, as we have 
just now seen, lie at the foundation of all the other cha- 
racters and relations of Deity revealed in the Scriptures. 
The acquisition of just and comprehensive conceptions of 
these perfections, must, therefore, lie at the foundation of 
all profound veneration of the Divine Being, and of all 
ihat is valuable in religion. Destitute of such concep- 
tions, we can neither feel that habitual humility ^ and that 
reverence of the majesty of Jehovah which his essential 
glory is calculated to inspire, nor pay him that tribute of 
adoration and gratitude which is due to his name. Devoid 
of such views, we cannot exercise that cordial acquies- 
cence in the plan of his redemption, in the arrangement 



32 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

of his providence, and in the requirements of his law, 
which the Scriptures enjoin. Yet, how often do we find 
persons who pretend to speculate about the mysteries of 
the Gospel, displaying, — by their flippancy of speech re- 
specting the eternal councils of the Majesty of Heaven— 
by their dogmatical assertions respecting the divine cha- 
racter, and the dispensations of providence — and by their 
pertinacious opinions respecting the laws by which God 
must regulate his own actions — that they have never felt 
impressive emotions of the grandeur of that Being, whose 
" operations are unsearchable, and his ways past finding 
out 1" Though they do not call in question his immensity 
and power, his wisdom and goodness, as so many abstract 
properties of his nature, yet, the unbecoming familiarity 
with which they approach this August Being, and talk 
about him, shows that they have never associated in their 
minds, the stupendous displays which have been given of 
these perfections, in the works of his hands ; and that 
their religion (if it may be so called) consists merely in a 
farrago of abstract opinions, or in an empty name. 

If, then, it be admitted, that it is essentially requisite, as 
the foundation of religion, to have the mind deeply im- 
pressed with a clear and comprehensive view of the natural 
perfections of the Deity, it will follow, that the ministers 
of religion, and all others whose province it is to commu- 
nicate religious instruction, ought frequently to dwell, 
with particularity on those proofs and illustrations which 
tend to convey the most definite and impressive concep- 
tions of the glory of that Being whom we profess to adore. 
But from what sources are such illustrations to be derived ? 
Is it from abstract reasonings and metaphysical distinctions 
and definitions, or from a survey of those objects and 
movements which lie open to the inspection of every ob- 
server ? There can be no difficulty in coming to a decision 
on this point. We might affirm, with the schoolmen, that 
a God is a Being whose centre is every where, and his cir- 
cumference no where ;" that " he comprehends infinite 
duration in every moment ;" and that " infinite space may 
be considered as the sensorium of the Godhead ;" but 
such fanciful illustrations, when strictly analyzed, will be 
found to consist merely of words without ideas. We 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 33 

might also affirm, with truth, that God is a being of infi- 
nite perfection, glory, and blessedness — that he is without 
all bounds or limits, either actual or possible — that he is 
possessed of power sufficient to perform all things which 
do not imply a contradiction — that he is independent and 
self-sufficient — that his wisdom is unerring, and that he 
infinitely exceeds all other beings. But these, and other 
expressions of a similar kind, are mere technical terms, 
which convey no adequate, nor even tolerable notion of 
what they import. Beings, constituted like man, whose 
rational spirits are connected with an organical structure, 
and who derive all their knowledge through the medium 
of corporeal organs, can derive their clearest and most 
affecting notions of the Divinity, chiefly through the same 
medium, namely, by contemplating the effects of his per- 
fections, as displayed through the ample range of the visi- 
ble creation. And, to this source of illustration, the in- 
spired writers uniformly direct our views — " Lift up your 
eyes on high, and behold ! who hath created these orbs ? 
who bringeth forth their host by number, and calleth them 
all by their names? The everlasting God, the Lord, by 
the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power- * 
— " He hath made the earth by his power ; he hath esta- 
blished the world by his wisdom ; he hath stretched out 
the heavens by his understanding." — These writers do not 
perplex our minds by a multitude of technical terms and 
subtle reasonings ; but lead us directly to the source 
whence our most ample conceptions of Deity are to be 
derived, that, from a steady and enlightened contemplation 
of the effects, we may learn the greatness of the Cause ; 
and their example, in this respect, ought, doubtless, to br 
t pattern for every religious instructor. 



Section IL 

Illustrations of the Omnipotence of the Deity. 

In order to elucidate more distinctly what has been nou 
stated, I shall select a few illustrations of some of the Na- 



34 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tural attributes of the Deity. And, in the first place, I 
shall offer a few considerations which have a tendency to 
direct, and to amplify our conceptions of Divine Power. 

Omnipotence is that attribute of the Divine Being, by 
which he can accomplish every thing that does not imply 
a contradiction — however far it may transcend the com- 
prehensions of finite minds. By his power the vast system 
of universal nature was called from nothing into existence, 
and is continually supported, in all its movements, from 
age to age. — In elucidating this perfection of God, we 
might derive some striking illustrations from the records 
of his dispensations towards man, in the early ages of the 
world — when he overwhelmed the earth with the deluge, 
which covered the tops of the highest mountains, and 
swept the crowded population ef the ancient world into a 
watery grave — when he demolished Sodom and Gomorrah, 
and the cities around them, with fire from heaven — when 
he slew all the first-born of Egypt, and turned their rivers 
into blood- — when he divided the Red Sea, and the waters 
of Jordan before the tribes of Israel — when he made the 
earth to open its jaws and swallow up Korah and all his 
company — and when he caused Mount Sinai to smoke and 
tremble at his presence. But, these and similar events, 
however awful, astonishing, and worthy of remembrance, 
were only transitory exertions of divine power, and are not 
calculated, and were never intended, to impress the mind 
in so powerful a manner as those displays of Omnipotence 
which are exhibited in the ordinary movements of the ma- 
terial universe. We have no hesitation in asserting, that, 
with regard to this attribute of the Divinity, there is a more 
grand and impressive display in the Works of Nature, than 
in all the events recorded in the Sacred History. Nor 
ought this remark to be considered as throwing the least 
reflection on the fulness and sufficiency of the Scripture 
revelation ; for that revelation, as having a special refe- 
rence to a moral economy, has for its object, to give a 
more particular display of the moral than of the natural 
perfections of God. The miracles to which we have now 
referred, and every other supernatural fact recorded in the 
Bible, were not intended so much to display the plenitude 
of the power of Deity, as to bear testimony to the Divine 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 33 

mission of particular messengers, and to confirm the truths 
they declared. It was not, for example, merely to display 
the energies of Almighty power, that the waters of the 
Red Sea were dried up before the thousands of Israel, but 
to give a solemn and striking attestation to all concerned, 
that the Most High God had taken this people under his 
peculiar protection — that he had appointed Moses as their 
leader and legislator — and that they were bound to receive 
and obey the statutes he delivered. The most appropri- 
ate and impressive illustrations of Omnipotence, are those 
which are taken from the permanent operations of Deity, 
which are visible every moment in the universe around 
us; or, in other words, those which are derived from a 
detail of the facts which have been observed in the mate- 
rial world, respecting magnitude and motion. 

In the first place, the immense quantity of matter con- 
tained in the universe, presents a most striking display of 
Almighty power. 

In endeavouring to form a definite notion on this subject, 
the mind is bewildered in its conceptions, and is at a loss 
where to begin or to end its excursions. In order to form 
something approximating to a well-defined idea, we must 
pursue a train of thought commencing with those magni- 
tudes which the mind can easily grasp, proceeding through 
all the intermediate gradations of magnitude, and fixing 
the attention on every portion of the chain, till we arrive 
at the object or magnitude of which we wish to form a 
conception. We must endeavour, in the first place, to 
form a conception of the bulk of the world in which we 
dwell, which, though only a point in comparison of the 
whole material universe, is, in reality, a most astonishing 
magnitude, which the mind cannot grasp, without a labo- 
rious effort. We can form some definite idea of those 
protuberant masses we denominate hills, which rise above 
the surface of our plains ; but were we transported to the 
mountainous scenery of Switzerland, to the stupendous 
range of the Andes in South America, or to the Hima- 
layan mountains in India, where masses of earth and 
rocks, in every variety of shape, extend several hundreds 
of miles in different directions, and rear their projecting 
summits beyond the region of the clouds — we should find 



36 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

some difficulty in forming an adequate conception of the 
objects of our contemplation. For, (to use the words of 
one who had been a spectator of such scenes,) " Amidst 
those trackless regions of intense silence and solitude, we 
cannot contemplate, but with feelings of awe and admira- 
tion, the enormous masses of variegated matter which Jie 
around, beneath, and above us. The mind labors, as it 
were, to form a definite idea of those objects of oppressive 
grandeur, and feels unable to grasp the august objects 
which compose the surrounding scene." But what are 
all these mountainous masses, however variegated and 
sublime, when compared with the bulk of the whole 
earth ? Were they hurled from their bases, and precipi- 
tated into the vast Pacific Ocean, they would all disappear 
in a moment, except perhaps a few projecting tops, which, 
like a number of small islands, might be seen rising a few 
fathoms above the surface of the waters. 

The earth is a globe, whose diamater is nearly 8,000 
miles, and its circumference about 25,000, and, conse- 
quently, its surface contains nearly two hundred millions 
of square miles — a magnitude too great for the mind to 
take in at one conception. In order to form a tolerable 
conception of the whole, we must endeavor to take a 
leisurely survey of its different parts. Were we to take 
our station on the top of a mountain, of a moderate size, 
and survey the surrounding landscape, we should perceive 
an extent of view stretching 40 miles in every direction, 
forming a circle 80 miles in diameter, and 250 in circum- 
ference, and comprehending an area of 5,000 square miles. 
In such a situation, the terrestrial scene around and be- 
neath us, consisting of hills and plains, towns and villages, 
rivers and lakes — would form one of the largest objects 
which the eye, or even the imagination, can steadily grasp 
at one time. But such an object, grand and extensive as 
it is, forms no more than the forty thousandth part of the 
terraqueous globe ; so that before we can acquire an ade- 
quate conception of the magnitude of our own world, we 
must conceive 40,000 landscapes, of a similar extent, to 
pass in review before us : and, were a scene, of the mag- 
nitude now stated, to pass before us every hour, till all the 
diversified scenery of the earth were brought under our 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 37 

view, and were 12 hours a-day allotted for the observation, 
it would require 9 years and 48 days before the whole sur- 
face of the globe could be contemplated, even in this gene- 
ral and rapid manner. But, such a variety of successive 
landscapes passing before the eye, even although it were 
possible to be realized, would convey only a very vague 
and imperfect conception of the scenery of our world ; for 
objects at the distance of 40 miles cannot be distinctly 
perceived ; the only view which would be satisfactory 
would be, that which is comprehended within the range of 
3 or 4 miles from the spectator. 

Again, I have already stated, that the surface of the 
earth contains nearly 200,000,000 of square miles. — Now, 
were a person to set out on a minute survey of the terra- 
queous globe, and to travel till he passed along every 
square mile on its surface, and to continue his route with- 
out intermission, at the rate of 30 miles every day, it 
would require 18,264 years before he could finish his tour, 
and complete the survey of " this huge rotundity on which 
we tread :" — so that, had he commenced his excursion on 
the day in which Adam was created, and continued it to 
the present hour, he would not have accomplished one- 
third part of this vast tour. 

In estimating the size and extent of the earth, we ought 
also to take into consideration, the vast variety of objects 
with which it is diversified, and the numerous animated 
beings with which it is stored ; — the great divisions of land 
and water, the continents, seas, and islands, into which it 
is distributed ; the lofty ranges of mountains which rear 
their heads to the clouds ; the unfathomable abysses of 
the ocean ; its vast subterraneous caverns and burning 
mountains ; and the lakes, rivers, and stately forests with 
which it is so magnificently adorned ; — the many millions 
of animals, of every size and form, from the elephant to 
the mite, which traverse its surface ; the numerous tribes 
of fishes, from the enormous whale to the diminutive 
shrimp, which " play" in the mighty ocean ; the aerial 
tribes which sport in the regions above us, and the vast 
mass of the surrounding atmosphere, which encloses the 
earth and all its inhabitants as "with a swaddling band." 
The immense variety of beings with which our terrestrial 

4 



J8 HIE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

habitation is furnished, conspires, with every other consi- 
deration, to exalt our conceptions of that Power by which 
our globe, and all that it contains, were brought into ex- 
istence. 

The preceding illustrations, however, exhibit the vast 
extent of the earth, considered only as a mere superficies. 
But we know that the earth is a solid globe, whose specific 
gravity is nearly five times denser than water, or about 
twice as dense as the mass of earth and rocks which com- 
pose its surface. Though we cannot dig into its bowels 
beyond a mile in perpendicular depth, to explore its hidden 
wonders, yet we may easily conceive what a vast and in- 
describable mass of matter must be contained between 
the two opposite portions of its external circumference, 
reaching 8,000 miles in every direction. The solid con- 
tents of this ponderous ball is no less than 263,858,149,120 
cubical miles — a mass of material substance of which we 
can form but a very faint and imperfect conception — in 
proportion to which, all the lofty mountains which rise 
above its surface, are less than a few grains of sand, when 
compared with the largest artificial globe. Were the earth 
a hollow sphere, surrounded merely with an external shell 
of earth and water, 10 miles thick, its internal cavity 
would be sufficient to contain a quantity of materials one 
hmdred and thirty-three times greater than the whole 
mass of continents, islands, and oceans, on its surface. 
and the foundations on which they are supported. We 
have the strongest reasons, however, to conclude, that the 
earth, in its general structure, is one solid mass, from the 
surface to the centre, excepting, perhaps, a few caverns 
scattered, here and there, amidst its subterraneous re- 
cesses : and that its density gradually increases from its 
surface to its central regions. What an enormous mass of 
materials, then, is comprehended within the limits of that 
globe on which we tread ! The mind labors, as it were, 
to comprehend the mighty idea, and, after all its exertion! 
feels itself unable to take in such an astonishing magnitude 
at one comprehensive grasp. How great must be the 
power of that Being who commanded it to spring from 
nothing into existence, who " measures the ocean in the 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 39 

hollow of his hand, who weigheth the mountains in scales, 
and hangeth the earth upon nothing !" 

It is essentially requisite, before proceeding to the sur- 
vey of objects and magnitudes of a superior order, that 
we should endeavor, by such a train of thought as the pre- 
ceding, to form some tolerable and clear conception of the 
bulk of the globe we inhabit ; for it is the only body we 
can use as a standard of comparison to guide the mind in 
its conceptions, when it roams abroad to other regions of 
material existence. And, from what has been now stated, 
it appears, that we have no adequate conception of a mag- 
nitude of so vast an extent ; or, at least, that the mind 
cannot, in any one instant, form to itself a distinct and 
comprehensive idea of it, in any measure corresponding 
to the reality. 

Hitherto, then, we have fixed only on a determinate 
magnitude — on a scale of a few inches, as it were, in order 
to assist us in our measurement and conception of mag- 
nitudes still more august and astonishing. When we con- 
template, by the light of science, those magnificent globes 
which float around us, in the concave of the sky, the earth, 
with all its sublime scenery, stupendous as it is, dwindles 
into an inconsiderable ball. If we pass from our globe to 
some of the other bodies of the planetary system, w r e shall 
find that one of these stupendous orbs is more than 900 
times the size of our world, and encircled with a ring 
200,000 miles in diameter, which would nearly reach from 
the earth to the moon, and would enclose within its vast 
circumference, several hundreds of worlds as large as ours. 
Another of these planetary bodies, which appears to the 
vulgar eye only as a brilliant speck on the vault of heaven, 
is found to be of such a size, that it would require 1,400 
globes of the bulk of the earth to form one equal to it in 
dimensions. The whole of the bodies which compose the 
solar system, (without taking the sun and the comets into 
account,) contain a mass of matter 2,500 times greater than 
that of the earth. The sun himself is 520 times larger 
than all the planetary globes taken together ; and one mil- 
lion, three hundred thousand times larger than the terra- 
queous globe. This is one of the most glorious and mag- 
nificent visible objects, which either the eye, or the imaui 



40 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

nation, can contemplate ; especially when we consider, 
what perpetual, and incomprehensible, and powerful influ- 
ence he exerts, what warmth, and beauty, and activity, he dif- 
fuses, not only on the globe we inhabit, but over the more ex- 
tensive regions of surrounding worlds. His energy extends 
to the utmost limits of the planetary system — to the planet 
Herschel, which revolves at the distance of 1,800 millions 
of miles from his surface, and there, he dispenses light, 
and colour, and comfort, to all the beings connected with 
that far-distant orb, and to all the moons which roll around 
it. 

Here the imagination begins to be overpowered and be- 
wildered in its conceptions of magnitude, when it has ad- 
vanced scarcely a single step in its excursions through the 
material world : for it is highly probable that all the mat- 
ter contained within the limits of the solar system, incom- 
prehensible as its magnitude appears, bears a smaller pro- 
portion to the whole mass of the material universe, than 
a single grain of sand to all the particles of matter con- 
tained in the body of the sun and his attending planets. 

If we extend our views from the solar system to the 
starry heavens, we have to penetrate, in our imagination, 
a space which the swiftest ball that was ever projected, 
though in perpetual motion, would not traverse in ten hun- 
dred thousand years. In those trackless regions of im- 
mensity, we behold an assemblage of resplendent globes ? 
similar to the sun in size, and in glory, and, doubtless, ac- 
companied with a retinue of worlds, revolving, like our 
own, around their attractive influence. The immense 
distance at which the nearest stars are known to be placed, 
proves, that they are bodies of a prodigious size, not in- 
ferior to our own sun, and that they shine, not by reflected 
rays, but by their own native light. But bodies encircled 
with such refulgent splendor, would be of little use in the 
economy of Jehovah's empire, unless surrounding worlds 
were cheered by their benign influence, and enlightened 
by their beams. Every star is, therefore, with good rea- 
son, concluded to be a sun, no less spacious than ours, 
surrounded by a host of planetary globes, which revolve 
around it as a centre, and derive from it light, and heat, 
and comfort. Nearly a thousand of these luminaries mav 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY- 41 

be seen in a clear winter night, by the naked eye ; so that 
a mass of matter equal to a thousand solar systems, or to 
thirteen hundred and twenty millions of globes of the size 
of the earth, may be perceived, by every common observer, 
in the canopy of heaven. But all the celestial orbs which 
are perceived by the unassisted sight, do not form the 
eighty thousandth part of those which may be described by 
the help of optical instruments. The telescope has ena- 
bled us to descry, in certain spaces of the heavens, thou- 
sands of stars where the naked eye could scarcely discern 
twenty. The late celebrated astronomer, Dr. Herschel, 
has informed us, that in the most crowded parts of the 
Milky-way, when exploring that region with his best 
glasses, he has had fields of view which contained no less 
than 588 stars, and these were continued for many mi- 
nutes ; so that " in one quarter of an hour's time there pass- 
ed no less than one hundred and sixteen thousand stars 
through the field of view of his telescope." 

It has been computed, that nearly one hundred millions 
of stars might be perceived by the most perfect instru- 
ments, were all the regions of the sky thoroughly explored : 
And yet, all this vast assemblage of suns and worlds, when 
compared with what lies beyond the utmost boundaries of 
human vision, in the immeasurable spaces of creation, may 
be no more than as the smallest particle of vapour to the 
immense ocean. Immeasurable regions of space lie be- 
yond the utmost limits of mortal view, into which even 
imagination itself can scarcely penetrate, and which are, 
doubtless, replenished with the operations of Divine Wis- 
dom and Omnipotence. For, it cannot be supposed, that 
a being so diminutive as man, whose stature scarcely ex- 
ceeds six feet — who vanishes from the sight at the distance 
of a league — whose whole habitation is invisible from the 
nearest star — whose powers of vision are so imperfect, 
and whose mental faculties are so limited — it cannot be 
supposed that man, who " dwells in tabernacles of clay, 
who is crushed before the moth," and chained down, by 
the force of gravitation, to the surface of o small planet, — 
should be able to descry the utmost boundaries of the em- 
pire of Him who fills immensity, and dwells in " light un- 
approachable." That portion of his dominions, however. 

4* 



42 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

which lies within the range of our view, presents such a 
scene of magnificence and grandeur, as must fill the mind 
of every reflecting person with astonishment and reve- 
rence, and constrain him to exclaim, " Great is our Lord, 
and of great power, his understanding is infinite." "When 
I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon 
and the stars which thou hast ordained, — what is man that 
thou art mindful of him !" " I have heard of thee by the 
hearing of the ear ;" I have listened to subtle disquisitions 
on thy character and perfections, and have been but little 
affected, " but now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore I hum- 
ble myself, and repent in dust and ashes." 

In order to feel the full force of the impression made 
by such contemplations, the mind must pause at every 
step, in its excursions through the boundless regions of 
material existence : for it is not by a mere attention to the 
figures and numbers by which the magnitudes of the great 
bodies of the universe are expressed, that we arrive at the 
most distinct and ample conceptions of objects so grand 
and overwhelming. The mind, in its intellectual range, 
must dwell on every individual scene it contemplates, and 
on the various objects of which it is composed. It must 
add scene to scene, magnitude to magnitude, and compare 
smaller objects with greater — a range of mountains with 
the whole earth, the earth with the planet Jupiter, Jupiter 
with the sun, the sun with a thousand stars, a thousand 
stars with 80 millions, and 80 millions with all the bound- 
less extent which lies beyond the limits of mortal vision ; 
and, at every step of this mental process, sufficient time 
must be allowed for the imagination to expatiate on the 
objects before it, till the ideas approximate, as near as 
possible, to the reality. In order to form a comprehensive 
conception of the extent of the terraqueous globe, the 
mind must dwell on an extensive landscape, and the ob- 
jects with which it is adorned ; it must endeavor to sur- 
vey the many thousands of diversified landscapes which 
the earth exhibits — the hills and plains, the lakes and ri- 
vers, and mountains, which stretch in endless variety over 
its surface — it must dive into the vast caverns of the ocean 
— penetrate into the subterraneous regions of the globe, 
and wing its way amidst clouds and tempests, through the 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY, 43 

surrounding atmosphere. It must next extend its flight 
through the more expansive regions of the solar system, 
realizing, in imagination, those magnificent scenes which 
can be described neither by the naked eye, nor by the tele- 
scope ; and comparing the extent of our sublunary world, 
with the more magnificent globes that roll around us. 
Leaving the sun and all its attendant planets behind, till 
they have diminished to the size of a small twinkling star, 
it must next wing its way to the starry regions, and pass 
from one system of worlds to another, from one Nebula* to 
another, from one region of Nebulae to another, till it ar- 
rive at the utmost boundaries of creation which human 
genius has explored. It must also endeavor to extend its 
flight beyond all that is visible by the best telescopes, and 
expatiate at large in that boundless expanse into which no 
human eye has yet penetrated, and which is, doubtless, 
replenished with other worlds, and systems, and firma- 
ments, where the operations of infinite power and benefi- 
cence are displayed, in endless variety throughout the il- 
limitable regions of space. 

Here, then, with reverence, let us pause, and wonder ! 
Over all this vast assemblage of material existence, God 
presides. Amidst the diversified objects and intelligences 
it contains, he is eternally and essentially present. By his 
unerring wisdom, all its complicated movements are di- 
rected. By his Almighty fiat, it emerged from nothing 
into existence, and is continually supported from age to 
age. " He spake and it was done ; he commanded, 
and it stood fast." " By the word of the Lord were 
the heavens made, and all the host of them by the spirit 
of his mouth. " What an astonishing display of Divine 
power is here exhibited to our view ! How far transcend- 
ing all finite comprehension must be the energies of Him 
who only " spake, and it was done ;" who only gave the 
command, and this mighty system of the universe, with all 
its magnificence, started into being ! The infinite ease 
with which this vast fabric was reared, leads us irresistibly to 
conclude, that there are powers and energies in the Divine 
mind which have never yet been exerted, and which may 



* For an account of the Nebula, see Ch. II. Art. Astronomy. 



14 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

unfold themselves to intelligent beings, in the production 
of still more astonishing and magnificent effects, during 
an endless succession of existence. That man who is not 
impressed with a venerable and overwhelming sense of the 
power and majesty of Jehovah, by such contemplations, 
must have a mind incapable of ardent religious emotions, 
and unqualified for appreciating the grandeur of that Being 
u whose kingdom ruleth over all." And shall such enno- 
bling views be completely withheld from a Christian au- 
dience 1 Shall it be considered as a matter of mere in- 
difference, whether their views of the Creator's works be 
limited to the sphere of a few miles around them, or ex- 
tended to ten thousand worlds 1 — whether they shall be 
left to view the operations of the Almighty throughout 
eternity, past and to come, as confined to a small globe, 
placed in the immensity of space, with a number of bril- 
liant studs fixed in the arch of heaven, at a few miles dis- 
tance ; or, as extending through the boundless dimensions 
of space ?— whether they shall be left to entertain no higher 
idea of the Divine majesty that what may be due to one of 
the superior orders of the seraphim or cherubim, — or, whe- 
ther they shall be directed to form the most august con- 
ceptions of the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, cor- 
responding to the displays he has given of his glory in his 
visible works ? If it be not, both reason and piety re- 
quire, that such illustrations of the Divine perfections 
should occasionally be exhibited to their view. 

In the next place, the rapid motions of the great bodies 
of the universe, no less than their magnitudes, display the 
Infinite Power of the Creator. 

We can acquire accurate ideas of the relative velocities 
of moving bodies, only by comparing the motions with 
which we are familiar, with one another, and with those 
which lie beyond the general range of our minute inspec- 
tion. We can acquire a pretty accurate conception of the 
velocity of a ship, impelled by the wind—of a steam-boat 
— of a race horse — of a bird darting through the air — of 
an arrow flying from a bow — and of the clouds when im- 
pelled by a stormy wind. The velocity of a ship is from 
8 to 12 miles an hour, — of a race horse, from 20 to 30 
miles— of a bird, say from 50 to 60 miles, and of the 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 4d 

clouds, in a violent hurricane, from 80 to 100 miles an 
hour. The motion of a ball from a loaded cannon is in- 
comparably swifter than any of the motions now stated : 
but of the velocity of such a body we have a less accu- 
rate idea : because, its rapidity being so great, we cannot 
trace it distinctly by the eye, through its whole range, from 
the mouth of the cannon to the object against which it is 
impelled. By experiments, it has been found, that its rate 
of motion is from 480 to 800 miles in an hour, but it is 
retarded every moment, by the resistance of the air and the 
attraction of the earth. This velocity, however, great as 
it is, bears no sensible proportion to the rate of motion 
which is found among the celestial orbs. That such enor- 
mous masses of matter should move at all, is wonderful : 
but when we consider the amazing velocity with which 
they are impelled, we are lost in astonishment. The pla- 
net Jupiter, in describing his circuit round the sun, moves 
at the rate of 29,000 miles an hour. The planet Venus, 
one of the nearest and most brilliant of the celestial bo- 
dies, and about the same size as the earth, is found to 
move through the spaces of the firmament at the rate of 
76,000 miles an hour ; and the planet Mercury, with a 
velocity of no less than 105,000 miles an hour, or 1750 
miles in a minute — a motion two hundred times swifter 
than that of a cannon ball. 

These velocities will appear still more astonishing, if 
we consider the magnitude of the bodies which are thus 
impelled, and the immense forces which are requisite to 
carry them along in their courses. However rapidly a ball 
flies from the mouth of a cannon, it is the flight of a body 
only a few inches in diameter ; but one of the bodies, 
whose motion has been just now stated, is eighty-nine 
thousand miles in diameter, and would comprehend, within 
its vast circumference, more than a thousand globes as 
large as the earth. — Could we contemplate such motions, 
from a fixed point, at the distance of only a few hundreds 
of miles from the bodies thus impelled — it would raise oui 
admiration to its highest pitch, it would overwhelm all oui 
faculties, and, in our present state, would produce an im- 
pression of awe, and even of terror, beyond the power of 
language to express. The earth contains a mass of m?. f 



46 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

ter equal in weight to at least 2,200,000,000,000,000,000,- 
000 tons, supposing its mean density to be only about 2 1-2 
times greater than water. To move this ponderous mass 
a single inch beyond its position, were it fixed in a quies- 
cent state, would require a mechanical force almost be- 
yond the power of numbers to express. The physical 
force of all the myriads of intelligences within the bounds 
of the planetary system, though their powers were far su- 
perior to those of man, would be altogether inadequate to 
the production of such a motion. How much more must 
be the force requisite to impel it with a velocity one hun- 
dred and forty times swifter than a cannon ball, or 68,000 
miles an hour, the actual rate of its motion, in its course 
round the sun ! But whatever degree of mechanical 
power would be requisite to produce such a stupendous 
effect, it would require a force one hundred and fifty times 
greater to impel the planet Jupiter, in his actual course, 
through the heavens ! Even the planet Saturn, one of the 
slowest moving bodies of our system, a globe 900 times 
larger than the earth, is impelled through the regions of 
space, at the rate of 22,000 miles an hour, carrying along 
with him two stupendous rings, and seven moons larger 
than ours, through his whole course round the central lu- 
minary. Were we placed within a thousand miles of this 
stupendous globe, (a station which superior beings may 
occasionally occupy,) where its hemisphere, encompassed 
by its magnificent rings, would nil the whole extent of our 
vision — the view of such a ponderous and glorious object, 
flying with such amazing velocity before us, would infi- 
nitely exceed every idea of grandeur we can derive from 
terrestrial scenes, and overwhelm our powers withastonish- 
ment and awe. Under such an emotion, we could only 
exclaim, " Great and Marvellous are thy works, 
Lord God Almighty!" The ideas of strength and 
power implied in the impulsion of such enormous masses 
of matter, through the illimitable tracts of space, are 
forced upon the mind with irresistible energy, far surpass- 
ing what any abstract propositions or reasonings can con- 
vey ; and constrain us to exclaim, " Who is a strong Lord 
like unto thee ! Thy right hand is become glorious in 
power ! The Lord God omnipotent reigneth ! ,? 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 4? 

if we consider the immense number of bodies thus im- 
pelled through the vast spaces of the universe — the rapidi* 
ty with which the comets, when near the sun, are carried 
through the regions they traverse, — if we consider the 
high probability, if not absolute certainty, that the sun, 
with all its attendant planets and comets, is impelled with 
a still greater degree of velocity towards some distant re- 
gion of space, or around some wide circumference — that 
all the thousands of systems of that nebula to which the 
sun belongs, are moving in a similar manner — that all the 
nebulse in the heavens are moving around some magnifi- 
cent central body — in short, that all the suns and worlds 
in the universe are in rapid and perpetual motion, as con- 
stituent portions of one grand and boundless empire, of 
which Jehovah is the Sovereign — and, if we consider still 
farther, that all these mighty movements have been going 
on, without intermission, during the course of many centu- 
ries, and some of them, perhaps, for myriads of ages be- 
fore the foundations of our world were laid — it is impossi- 
ble for the human mind to form any adequate idea of the 
stupendous forces which are in incessant operation through- 
out the unlimited empire of the Almighty. To estimate 
such mechanical force, even in a single instance, com- 
pletely baffles the mathematician's skill, and sets the power 
of numbers at defiance. " Language," and figures, and 
comparisons, are " lost in w r cnders so sublime," and the 
mind, overpowered with such reflections, is irresistibly led 
upwards, to search fcr the cause in that Omnipotent 
Being who upholds the pillars of the universe — the thun- 
der of whose power none can comprehend. While con- 
templating such august objects, how emphatic and im- 
pressive appears the language of the sacred oracles, 
" Canst thou by searching find out 'God J Canst thou 
find out the Almighty to perfection ? Great things doth 
he which we cannot comprehend. Thine, O Lord, is the 
greatness, and the glory, and the majesty ; for all that is 
in heaven and earth is thine. Among the gods there is 
none like unto thee, Lord, neither are there any works 
like unto thy works. Thou art great, and dost wondrous 
things, thou art God alone. Hast thou not known, hast 
thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the 



48 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

Creator of all things, fainteth not, neither is weary ? there 
is no searching of his understanding. Let all the earth 
fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in 
awe of him ; for, he spake, and it was done ; he comman- 
ded, and it stood fast." 

Again, the immense spaces which surrouad the heavenly 
bodies, and in which they perform their revolutions, tend 
to expand our conceptions on this subject, and to illustrate 
the magnificence of the Divine operations. In whatever 
point of view we contemplate the scenery of the heavens, 
an idea of grandeur irresistibly bursts upon the mind ; and, 
if empty space can, in any sense, be considered as an ob- 
ject of sublimity, nothing can fill the mind with a grander 
idea of magnitude and extension, than the amplitude of 
the scale on which planetary systems are constructed. 
Around the body of the sun there is allotted a cubical 
space, 3,600 millions of miles in diameter, in which eleven 
planetary globes revolve— every one being separated from 
another, by intervals of many millions of miles. The 
space which surrounds the utmost limits of our system, 
extending, in every direction, to the nearest fixed stars, is, 
at least, 40,000,000,000,000 miles in diameter ; and, it is 
highly probable, that every star is surrounded by a space 
of equal, or even of greater extent. A body impelled with 
the greatest velocity which art can produce, — a cannon ball, 
for instance, would require twenty years to pass through 
the space that intervenes between the earth and the sun, 
and four millions, seven hundred thousand years, ere it 
could reach the nearest star. Though the stars seem to 
be crowded together in clusters, and some of them almost 
to touch one another, yet the distance between any two 
stars which seem to make the nearest approach, is such 
as neither words can express, nor imagination fathom. 
These immense spaces are as unfathomable, on the one 
hand, as the magnitude of the bodies which move in them, 
and their prodigious velocities, are incomprehensible on 
the other ; and they form a part of those magnificent pro- 
portions according to which the fabric of universal na- 
ture was arranged — all corresponding to the majesty of 
that infinite and incomprehensible Being, " who measures 
the ocean in the hollow of his hand, and meteth out the 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 49 

heavens with a span." How wonderful that bodies at such 
prodigious distances should exert a mutual influence on 
one another ! that the moon, at the distance of 240,000 
miles, should raise tides in the ocean, and currents in the 
atmosphere ! that the sun at the distance of ninety-five 
millions of miles, should raise the vapors, move the ocean, 
direct the course of the winds, fructify the earth, and dis- 
tribute light, and heat, and color, through every region of 
the globe ; yea, that his attractive influence, and fructifying 
energy should extend even to the planet Herschel, at the 
distance of eighteen hundred millions of miles ! So that, 
in every point of view in which the universe is contempla- 
ted, we perceive the same grand scale of operation by 
which the Almighty has arranged the provinces of his 
universal kingdom. 

We would now ask, in the name of all that is sacred, 
whether such magnificent manifestations of Deity ought to 
be considered as irrelevant in the business of religion, and 
whether they ought to be thrown completely into the shade, 
in the discussions which take place on religious topics, in 
" the assemblies of the saints'?" If religion consists in 
the intellectual apprehension of the perfections of God, 
and in the moral effects produced by such an apprehension 
— if all the rays of glory emitted by the luminaries of hea- 
ven, are only so many reflections of the grandeur of Him 
who dwells in light unapproachable — if they have a tenden- 
cy to assist the mind in forming its conceptions of that in- 
effable Being, whose uncreated glory cannot be directly 
contemplated — and if they are calculated to produce a sub- 
lime and awful impression on all created intelligences, — 
shall we rest contented with a less glorious idea of God than 
his works are calculated to afford? Shall we disregard 
the works of the Lord, and contemn "the operations of his 
hands," and that, too, in the face of all the invitations on 
this subject addressed to us by heaven? For thus saith 
Jehovah : " Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who 
hath created these things, who bringeth forth their host by 
number. — I the Lord, who maketh all things, who stretch- 
cth forth the heavens alone, and spread abroad the earth by 
myself; all their host have I commanded." And, if, at the 
command of God, we lift up our eyes to the " firmament of 

5 



50 THH CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

his power," surely we ought to do it, not with a " brute uncoH-. 
scious gaze," not with the vacant stare of a savage, not as if 
we were still enveloped with the mists and prejudices of the 
dark ages— but as surrounded by that blaze of light which 
modern science has thrown upon the scenery of the sky, 
in order that we may contemplate, with fixed attention, all 
that enlightened reason, aided by the nicest observations, 
has ascertained respecting the magnificence of the celes- 
tial orbs. To overlook the sublime discoveries of modern 
times, to despise them, or to call in question their reality, 
as some religionists have done, because they bring to our 
ears such astonishing reports of the " eternai power" and 
majesty of Jehovah— is to act as if we were afraid lest the 
Deity should be represented as more grand and magnifi- 
cent than he really is, and as if we w T ould be better plea- 
sed to pay him a less share of homage and adoration than 
is due to his name. 

Perhaps some may be disposed to insinuate that the views 
now stated are above the level of ordinary comprehension, 
and founded too much on scientific considerations, to be 
stated in detail to a common audience. To any insinua- 
tions of this kind, it may be replied, that such illustrations 
as those to which we have referred, are more easily com- 
prehended than many of those abstract discussions to which 
they are frequently accustomed ; since they are definite 
and tangible, being derived from those objects which strike 
the senses and the imagination. Any person of common 
understanding may be made to comprehend the leading 
ideas of extended space, magnitude, and motion, which 
have been stated above, provided the descriptions be suffi- 
ciently simple, clear, and well defined ; and should they 
be at a loss to comprehend the principles on which the con- 
clusions rest, or the mode by which the magnificence of 
the works of God has been ascertained, an occasional re- 
ference to such topics would excite them to inquiry and 
investigation, and to the exercise of their powers of obser- 
vation and reasoning on such subjects — which are too fre- 
quently directed to far less important objects. The follow- 
ing illustration, however, stands clear of every objection of 
this kind, and is level to the comprehension of every man 
of common sense. — Either the earth moves round its axis 
once in twenty-four hours — or, the sun, moon, plane*-. 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 51 

comets, stars, and the whole frame of the universe move 
around the earth, in the same time- There is no alterna- 
tive, or third opinion, that can he formed on this point. If 
the earth revolve on its axis every 24 hours to produce the 
alternate succession of day and night, the portions of its 
surface ahout the equator, must move at the rate of more 
than a thousand miles an hour, since the earth is more 
than twenty-four thousand miles in circumference. This 
view of the fact, when attentively considered, furnishes a 
most sublime and astonishing idea. That a globe of so vast 
dimensions, with all its l.jad of mountains, continents, and 
oceans, comprising within its circumference a mass of two 
hundred and sixty-four thousand millions of cubical miles, 
should whirl around with so amazing a velocity, gives us a 
most august and impressive conception of the greatness of 
that Power which first set it in motion, and continues the 
ranid whirl from age to age ! Though the huge masses of 
the Alpine mountains were in a moment detached from 
their foundations, carried aloft through the regions of the air, 
and tossed into the Mediterranean Sea, it would convey no 
idea of a force equal to that which is every moment exerted, 
if the earth revolve on its axis. But should the motion of 
our earth be called in question, or denied, the idea of force, 
or power, will be indefinitely increased. For, in this case, 
it must necessarily be admitted, that the heavens, with all 
our innumerable host of stars, have a diurnal motion around 
the globe ; which motion must be inconceivably more rapid 
than that of the earth, on the supposition of its motion. 
For, in proportion a* the celestial bodies are distant from the 
earth, in the same proportion would be the rapidity of their 
movements. The sun, on this supposition, would move at 
the rate of 414,000 miles in a minute; the nearest stars, at 
the rate of fourteen hundred millions of miles in a second: 
and the most distant luminaries, with a degree of swiftness 
which no numbers could express. f Such velocities, too, 
would be the rate of motion, not merely of a single globe like 
the earth, but of all the ten thousand times ten thousand 
spacious globes that exist within the boundaries of creation. 
This view conveys an idea of power, still more august and 



1 See Appendix, No. 1. 



52 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

overwhelming than any of the views already stated, and we 
dare not presume to assert, that such a degree of physical 
force is beyond the limits of Infinite perfection; but on the 
supposition it existed, it would confound all our ideas of the 
wisdom and intelligence of the Divine mind, and would ap- 
pear altogether inconsistent with the character which the 
scripture gives us of the Deity as " the only wise God." 
For, it would exhibit a stupendous system of means alto- 
gether disproportioned to the end intended — namely, to pro- 
duce the alternate succession of day and night to the inhabi- 
tants of our globe, which is more beautifully and harmoni- 
ously effected by a simple rotation on its axis, as is the 
case with the other globes which compose the planetary sys- 
tem. Such considerations, however, show us, that, on 
whateverhypotbesis, whether on the vulgar or the scientific, 
or in whatever other point of view, the frame of nature may 
be contemplated, the mind is irresistibly impressed with 
ideas of power, grandeur, and magnificence. And, there- 
fore, when an inquiring mind is directed to contemplate the 
works of God, on any hypothesis it may choose, it has a 
tendency to rouse reflection, and to stimulate the exercise 
of the moral and intellectual faculties, on objects which 
are worthy of the dignity of immortal minds. 

We may now be, in some measure, prepared to decide,, 
whether illustrations of the omnipotence of the Deity, de- 
rived from the system of the material world, or those vague 
and metaphysical disquisitions which are generally given in 
theological systems, be most calculated to impress the 
mind, and to inspire it with reverence and adoration. The 
following is a description given of this attribute of God, by 
a well known systematic writer, w T ho has generally been 
considered as a judicious and orthodox divine :~ 

" God is Almighty, Rev. i. 18. chap. iv. 8. This will 
evidently appear, in that, if he be infinite in all his other 
perfections, he must be so in power: thus, if he be omnis- 
cient, he knows what is possible or expedient to be done : 
and if he be an infinite sovereign, he wills whatever shall 
come to pass. Now this knowledge would be insignificant, 
and his power inefficacious, were he not infinite in power, 
or almighty. Again, this might be argued from his justice, 
either in rewarding or punishing ; for if he were not infi- 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 53 

nite in power he could do neither of these, at least so far 
as to render him the object of that desire or fear, which is 
agreeable to the nature of these perfections ; neitber 
could infinite faithfulness accomplish all the promises which 
he nath made, so as to excite that trust, and dependence, 
which is a part of religious worship ; nor could he say 
without limitation, as he does, I have spoken it, I will also 
bring it to pass ; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isa. 
xlvi. 11. — But since power is visible in, and demonstrated 
by its effects, and infinite power, by those effects which 
cannot be produced by a creature, we may observe the al- 
mighty power of God in all his works, both of nature and 
grace : thus his eternal power is understood, as the apostle 
says, By the things that are made, Rom. i. 20. not that 
there was an eternal production of things, but the exerting 
this power in time, proves it to be infinite and truly divine ; 
for no creature can produce the smallest particle of matter 
out of nothing, much less furnish the various species of 
creatures, with those endowments in which they excel one 
another, and set forth their Creator's glory. And the glo- 
ry of his power is no less visible in the works cf provi- 
dence, whereby he upholds all things, disposes of them 
according to his pleasure, and brings about events which 
only he who has an almighty arm can effect." — Ridghifs 
Body of Divinity, p. 39. 

This is the whole that Dr. Ridgley judges it necessary 
to state, in illustration of the attribute of Omnipotence, 
except what he says in relation to its operation in -'the 
work of grace," in " the propagation and success of the 

*pel," &c. subjects, to which the idea of power, oi 
physical energy, does not properly apply. Such, however, 
are the meagre and abstract disquisitions generally given 
by most systematic writers. There is a continual play on 
the term " Infinite," which to most minds, conveys no 
idea at all, unless it be associated with ample conceptions 
of motion, magnitude, and extension ; and it is constantly 
applied to subjects to which it was never intended to apply, 
such as " infinite faithfulness, infinite justice, infinite 
truth," &c. an application of the term which is never 
sanctioned by Scripture, and which has a tendency to in- 
troduce confusion into our conceptions of the perfectio 



54 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

of God. Granting that the statements and reasonings in 
such an extract as the above were unquestionable, yet 
what impresion can they make upon the mind ? Would 
an ignorant person feel his conceptions of the Divinity 
much enlarged, or his moral powers aroused by such vague 
and general statements ? And, if not, it appears some- 
what unaccountable, that those sources of illustration, 
which would convey the most ample and definite views of 
the " eternal power" and glory of God, should be studi- 
ously concealed from the view. Vague descriptions and 
general views of any object will never be effectual in awa- 
kening the attention, and arresting the faculties of the 
mind. The heart will always remain unimpressed, and 
the understanding will never be thoroughly excited in its 
exercise, unless the intellect have presented before it a well- 
defined and interesting object, and be enabled to survey it 
in its various aspects ; and this object must always have 
a relation to the material world, whether it be viewed in 
Connection with religion, or with any other subject. 



Thus I have endeavored, in the preceding sketches, to 
present a few detached illustrations of the omnipotence 
and grandeur of the Deity, as displayed in the vast magni- 
tude of the material universe — the stupendous velocities 
of the celestial bodies— -and in the immeasurable regions of 
space which surround them, and in which their motions 
are performed. Su-h a magnificent spectacle as the fabric 
of the universe presents — so majestic, God-like, and over- 
whelming, to beings who dwell " in tabernacles of clay"-- 
was surely never intended to be overlooked, or to be gazed 
at with indifference, by creatures endowed with reason and 
intelligence, and destined to an immortal existence. In 
forming a universe composed of so many immense systems 
and worlds, and replenished with such a variety of sensitive 
and intelligent existences, the Creator, doubtless, intend- 
ed that it should make a sublime and reverential impres- 
sion on the minds of all the intellectual beings to whom it 
might be displayed, and that it should convey some palpa- 
ble idea of the infinite glories of his nature, in so far as 
material objects can be supposed to adumbrate the per- 
fections of a spiritual and uncreated Essence. Dwelling 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY, 55 

m " light inaccessible" to mortals, and tor ever veiled 
from the highest created being, by the pure spirituality and 
immensity of his nature, there is no conceivable mode by 
which the infinite grandeur of Deity could be exhibited to 
finite intelligences, but through the medium of those mag- 
nificent operations which are incessantly going forward 
throughout the boundless regions of space. Concealed 
from the gaze of all the " principalities and powers'' in 
heaven, in the unfathomable depths of his Essence, he 
displays his presence in the universe he has created, and 
the glory of his power, by launching magnificent worlds 
into existence, by adorning them with diversified splen- 
dors, by peopling them with various ranks of intelligent 
existence, and by impelling them in their movements 
through the illimitable tracts of creation. 

It will readily be admitted by every enlightened Chris- 
tian, that it must be a highly desirable attainment to acquire 
the most glorious idea of the Divine Being which the limit- 
ed capacity of our minds is capable of receiving. This 
is one of the grand difficulties in religion. The idea of a 
Being purely immaterial, yet pervading infinite space, 
and possessed of no sensible qualities, confounds and be- 
wilders the human intellect, so that its conceptions, on the 
one hand, are apt to verge towards extravagancy, while, on 
the other, they are apt to degenerate into something ap- 
proaching to inanity. Mere abstract ideas and reasonings 
respecting infinity, eternity, and absolute perfection, how- 
ever sublime we may conceive them to be, completely fail 
in arresting the understanding, and affecting the heart ; 
our conceptions become vague, empty, and confused, for 
want of a material vehicle to give them order, stability, and 
expansion. Something of the nature of vast extension, oi 
splendid and variegated objects, and of mighty movements, 

ibsolutely necessary, in order to convey to spirits dwell- 
ing in bodies of clay, a definite conception of the invisible 
glories of the Eternal Mind ; and, therefore, in the im- 
mense variety of material existence with which the uni- 
verse is adorned, we find every requisite assistance of this 
kind to direct and expand our views of the Great Object of 
our adoration. When the mind is perplexed and over- 
whelmed with its conceptions, when it labours, as it were. 



56 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

to form some well-defined conception of an Infinite Being,, 
it here finds some tangible objects on which to fix, some 
sensible substratum for its thoughts to rest upon for a litt]e, 
while it attempts to penetrate, in its excursions, into those 
distant regions which eye hath not seen, and to connect 
the whole of this mental survey with the energies of the 
" King, Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible." 

To such a train of thought we are uniformly directed in 
the sacred oracles, where Jehovah is represented as de- 
scribing himself by the effects which his power and wisdom 
have produced. — " Israel shall be saved in the Lord with 
an everlasting salvation. For thus saith Jehovah that 
created the heavens ; God himself that formed the earth 
and made it ; he hath established it, he created it not in 
vain, he formed it to be inhabited ; I am the Lord, and 
there is none else." "I have made the earth and created 
man upon it, my hands have stretched out the heavens, 
and all their hosts have I commanded." " Hearken unto 
me, O Israel : I am the first. 1 also am the last. Mine 
hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my 
right hand hath spanned the heavens : when I call unto 
them, they stand up together." " Who hath measured 
the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven 
with the span, and weighed the mountains in scales? He 
who sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants 
thereof, are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the hea- 
vens as a curtain, that fainteth not, neither is weary." 
"The Lord made the heavens, the heaven of heavens, 
with all their hosts ; honour and majesty are before him, 
and his kingdom ruleth over all."* Such sublime de- 
scriptions of Jehovah, and references to his material 
works, are reiterated in every portion of the sacred vo- 
lume ; and the import and sublimity of such expressions 
cannot be fully appreciated-, unless we take into view all 
the magnificent objects which science has unveiled in the 
distant regions of creation. 

This subject is calculated, not merely to overpower the 
intellect with ideas of sublimity and grandeur, but also to 
produce a deep moral impression upon the heart ; and a 

■* fsa.xlv. 18, 12% xlviii. 12, 13. xl. 12, 22, fee 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. uT 

Christian philosopher would be deficient in hi§ duty, were 
he to overlook this tendency of the objects of his contem- 
plation. 

One important moral effect which this subject has a 
natural tendency to produce, is profound humility. 
MS hat an insignificant being does man appear, when he 
compares himself with the magnificence of creation, and 
with the mvriids of exalted intelligences with which it is 
people ! What are all the honors and splendors of this 
earthly ball, of which mortals are so proud, when placed 
in competition with the resplendent glories of the skies I 
Such a display as the Almighty has "ziven of himself, in 
the magnitude and variety of his works, was evidently in- 
tended " to stain the pride" of all human grandeur, that 
14 no flesh should glory in his presence." Yet there is no 
disposition that appears so prominent among puny mor- 
tals, as pride, ambition, and vain-glory — the very opposite 
of humility, and of all those tempers which become those 
ki who dwell in tabernacles of clay, and whose foundation 
is in the dust." Even without taking into account the 
state of man as a depraved intelligence, what is there in 
his situation that should i spire him with M lofty looks," 
and induce him to look down on his fellow-men with su- 
percilious contempt? He derived his origin from the dust. 
he is allied with the beasts that perish, and he is fast has- 
tening to the ^rave, where his carcass will become the 
food of noisome reptiles. He is every moment dependent 
on a Superior Being f«>r every pulse that beats, and every 
breath he draws, and for all that he possesses ; he is de- 
pendent even on the meanest of his species for his accom- 
modations and comforts. He holds every enjoyment on 
the most precarious tenure. — his friends may be snatched 
in a moment from his embrace ; his riches may take to 
themselves wings and fly away ; and his health and beauty 
may be blasted in an hour, bv a breath of wind. Hunger 
and thirst, cold and heat, poverty and disgrace, sorrow and 
disappointment, pain and disease, mingle themselves with 
all his pursuits and enjoyments. His knowledge is cir- 
cumscribed within the narrowest limits, his errors and fol- 
glaring and innumerable ; and he stands as an al- 
most undistinguishable atom, amidst the immensif 



oS THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

God's works. Still, with all these powerful inducements 
to the exercise of humility, man dares to be proud and ar- 
rogant. 

— vfc Man, proud man, 

Dressed in a little brief authority, 

Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven 

As make the angels Weep." 
How affecting to contemplate the warrior, flushed with 
diabolical pride, pursuing his conquests through heaps of 
slain, in order to obtain possession of " a poor pitiable 
speck of perishing earth ;" exclaiming in his rage " I will 
pursue, I will overtake, i will divide the spoil, my lust shall 
be satisfied upon them, I will draw my sword, my hand 
shall destroy them" — to behold the man of rank glorying 
in his wealth, and his empty titles, and looking around 
upon the inferior orders of his fellow- mortals as the worms 
of the dust— to behold the man of ambition pushing his 
way through bribery, and treachery, and slaughter, to 
gain possession of a throne, that he may look down 
with proud pre-eminence upon his fellows — to behold the 
haughty airs of the noble dame, inflated with the idea 
of her beauty, and her high birth, as she struts along, 
surveying the ignoble crowd as if they were the dust be- 
neath her feet— to behold the smatterer in learning, puffed 
up with a vain conceit of his superficial acquirements, 
when he has scarcely entered the porch of knowledge — in 
line, to behold all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, 
big with an idea of their own importance, and fired with 
pride and revenge at the least provocation, whether imagi- 
nary or real ! How inconsistent the manifestations of 
such tempers, with the many humiliating circumstances of 
our present condition, and with the low rank which we 
hold in the scale of Universal Being ! 

It is not improbable, that there are in the universe, in- 
telligences of a superior order, in whose breasts pride 
never found a place — to whom this globe of ours, and all 
its inhabitants, appear as inconsiderable as a drop of water 
filled with microscopic animalculse, does to the proud lords 
of this earthly region. There is at least one Being to 
whom this sentiment is applicable in its utmost extent : — 
"Before Him all nations are as a drop of a bucket, and 
the inhabitants of the earth as grasshoppers : yea, they 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 59 

are as nothing, and are counted to him less than nothing 
and vanity." Could we wing our way, with the swiftness 
of a seraph, from sun to sun, and from world to world, 
till we had surveyed all the systems visible to the naked 
eye, which are only as a mere speck in the map of the 
universe — could we, at the same time, contemplate the 
glorious landscapes and scenes of grandeur they exhibit — 
could we also mingle with the pure and exalted intelli- 
gences which people those resplendent abodes, and behold 
their humble and ardent adorations of their Almighty Ma- 
ker, their benign and condescending deportment towards 
one another; " each esteeming another better than him- 
self," and all united in the bonds of the purest affection, 
without one haughty or discordant feeling — what indigna- 
tion and astonishment would seize us, on our return to 
this obscure corner of creation, to behold beings enve- 
loped in the mists of ignorance, immersed in depravity 
and wickedness, liable to a thousand accidents, exposed 
to the ravages of the earthquake, the volcano, and the 
storm ; yet proud as Lucifer, and glorying in their shame ! 
We should be apt to view them, as we now do those bed- 
lamites, who fancy themselves to be kings, surrounded by 
their nobles, while they are chained to the walls of a 
noisome dungeon. " Sure pride was never made for 
man." How abhorrent, then, must it appear in the eyes 
of superior beings, who have taken an expansive range 
through the field of creation? How abhorrent it is in the 
ht of the Almighty, and how amiable is the opposite 
virtue, we learn from his word : — " Every one that is 
proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord." — " God 
resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace to the humble." — - 
11 Thus saith the High and Lofty One, who inhabitetu 
eternity, I dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also 
that is of an humble and contrite spirit ; to revive the spi- 
rit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones." — 
While, therefore, we contemplate the omnipotence of 
God, in the immensity of creation, let us learn to culti- 
vate humility and self-abasement. This was one of the 
lessons which the pious Psalmist deduced, from his survey 
of the nocturnal heavens. When he beheld the moon 
walking in brightness, and the innumerable host of stare, 



tfO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

overpowered with a sense of his own insignificance, an«l 
the greatness of Divine condescension, he exclaimed " O 
Lord ! what is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the 
son of man, that thou shouldst visit him !" 

Again, this subject is also calculated to inspire us with 
reverence and veneration of God. Profound venera- 
tion of the Divine Being lies at the foundation of all reli- 
gious worship and obedience. But in order to venerate 
God aright, we must know him ; and, in order to acquire 
the true knowledge of him, we must contemplate him 
through the medium of those works and dispensations, by 
which he displays the glories of his nature to the inhabit- 
ants of our world. I have already exhibited a few speci- 
mens of the stupendous operations of his power, in that 
portion of the system of the universe which lies open to 
our inspection ; and there is, surely, no mind in which the 
least spark of piety exists, but must feel strong emotions 
of reverence and awe ; at the thought of that Almighty and 
Incomprehensible Being, who impels the huge masses of 
the planetary globes, with so amazing a rapidity through 
the sky, and who has diversified the voids of space with so 
vast an assemblage of magnificent worlds. Even those 
manifestations of Deity which are confined to the globe we 
inhabit, when attentively considered, are calculated to 
rouse, even the unthinking mind, to astonishment and awe. 
The lofty mountains, and expansive plains, the mass of 
waters in the mighty ocean, the thunders rolling along the 
sky, the lightnings flashing from cloud to cloud, the hurri- 
cane and the tempest, the volcano vomiting rivers of fire, 
and the earthquake shaking kingdoms, and leveling cities 
with the ground — all proclaim the Majesty of Him, by 
whom the elements of nature are arranged and directed, 
and seem to address the sons of men in language like this : 
" The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty ; at his 
wrath the earth4rembles ; a fire goeth before him, and 
burnetii up his enemies. "— " Let all the earth fear the Lord, 
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." 

There is one reason, among others, why the bulk of man- 
kind feel so little veneration of God, and that is, that they 
seldom contemplate, with fixed attention, " the operations 
of his hands." If we wish to cherish this sublime senti- 



oMi\ipote:\ t ce of the deity. Ci 

ment in our hearts, we must familiarize our minds to fre- 
quent excursions over all those scenes of Creation and 
Providence, which the volume of nature, and the volume 
of inspiration unfold to view. We must endeavor to assist 
our conceptions of the grandeur of these objects, by even 
discovery which has been, or may yet be made, and by 
every mode of illustration by which a sublime and compre- 
hensive idea of the particular object of contemplation maj 
be obtained. — If we would wish to acquire some definite, 
though imperfect conception of the physical extent of the 
universe, our minds might be assisted by such illustrations 
as the following : — Light flies from the sun with a velocity 
of nearly two hundred thousand miles in a moment of time, 
or, about 1,400,000 times swifter than the motion of a 
cannon ball : Suppose that one of the highest order of in- 
telligences is endowed with a power of rapid motion supe- 
rior to that of light, and with a corresponding degree of 
intellectual energy ; that he has been flying, without inter- 
mission, from one province of creation to another, for six 
thousand years, and will continue the same rapid course for 
a thousand millions of years to come ; it is highly probable, 
if not absolutely certain, that, at the end of this vast tour, 
he would have advanced no farther than " the suburbs of 
creation" — and that all the magnificent systems of material 
and intellectual beings he had surveyed, during his rapid 
flight, and for such a length of ages, bear no more propor- 
tion to the whole Empire of Omnipotence, than the smallest 
grain of sand does to all the particles of matter of the same 
size contained in ten thousand worlds. Nor need we en- 
tertain the least fear, that the idea of the extent of the 
Creator's power, conveyed by such a representation, ex- 
ceeds the bounds of reality. On the other hand, it musi 
fall almost infinitely short of it. For, as the poet has just- 
ly observed — 

4 * Can man conceive beyond what God can do . ?,> 
Were a seraph, in prosecuting the tour of creation in the 
manner now stated, ever to arrive at a limit beyond which 
no farther displays of the Divinity could be perceived, the 
thought would overwhelm his faculties with unutterable 
anguish and horror ; he would feel, that he had now, in 
some measure, comprehended all the plans and operation- 





G2 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

of Omnipotence, and that no farther manifestation of the 
Divine glory remained to be explored. But we may rest 
assured, that this can never happen in the case of any crea- 
ted intelligence. We have every reason to believe, both 
from the nature of an Infinite Being, and from the vast ex- 
tent of creation already explored, that the immense mass of 
material existence, and the endless variety of sensitive and 
intellectual beings with which the universe is replenished, 
are intended by Jehovah, to present to his rational offspring, 
a shadow, an emblem, or a representation, (in so far as fi- 
nite extended existence can be a representation,) of the 
Infinite Perfections of his nature, which would otherwise 
have remained for ever impalpable to all subordinate in- 
telligences. 

In this manner, then, might we occasionally exercise our 
minds on the grand and diversified objects which the uni- 
verse exhibits ; and, in proportion as we enlarge the sphere 
of our contemplations, in a similar proportion will our 
views of God himdf be extended, and a corresponding 
sentiment of veneration impressed upon the mind. For the 
soul of man cannot venerate a mere abstract being, that 
was never manifested through a sensible medium, however 
many lofty terms may be used to describe his perfections. 
It venerates that Ineffable Being, who conceals himself 
behind the scenes of Creation, through the medium of the 
visible displays he exhibits of his Power, Wisdom and 
Beneficence, in the Economy of Nature, and in the Records 
of Revelation. — Before the universe was formed, Jehovah 
ex? ted alone, possessed of eveuy attribute which he now 
displays. But, had only one solitary intelligence been 
cr* ated, and placed in the infinite void, without a material 
substratum beneath and around him, he could never have 
been animated with a sentiment of profound veneration for 
his Creator ; because no objects existed to excite it, or to 
show, that his Invisible Maker was invested with those at- 
tributes which he is now known to possess. Accordingly, 
we find, in the sacred writings, that when a sentiment of 
reverence is demanded from the sons of men, those sensi- 
ble objects which are calculated to excite the emotion, are 
uniformly exhibited. " Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? 
Will ye not tremble at my presence ? who have placed the 



OMNIPOTENCE- OF THE DEITY. 63 

= and for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it 
cannot pass it ; and though the waves thereof toss them- 
selves, yet they cannot prevail ; though they roar, yet can 
they not pass over it." " AYho would not fear thee, 
King of nations ? Thou art the true God, and an ever- 
lasting King. — Thou hast made the earth by thy power, 
thou hast established the world by thy wisdom, thou hast 
stretched out the heavens by thy discretion. When thou 
uttercst thy voice there is a noise of waters in the heavens, 
thou causest the vapours to ascend from the ends of the 
earth, thou makest lightnings with rain, and bringest forth 
the winds out of thy treasures."* 

But, however enlarged and venerable conceptions of 
God we may derive from the manifestations of his power, 
thev must tall infinitely short of what is due to a Being of 
boundless perfection. For there may be attributes in the 
Divine Essence, of which we cannot possibly form the 
least conception — attributes which cannot be shadowed 
forth or represented by any portion of the material or in- 
tellectual world yet discovered by us, or by all the mighty 
achievements by which human redemption was effected — 
attributes which have not yet been displayed, in their ef- 
fects, to the highest orders of intelligent existence. And, 
therefore, as that excellent philosopher and divine, the 
honorable Mr. Boyle, has well observed — " Our ideas of 
God, however so great, will rather express the greatness 
of our veneration, than the Immensity of his Perfections; 
and the notions worthy the most intelligent men, are far 
short of being worthy the incomprehensible God — the 
brightest idea we enn frame of God being infinitely infe- 
rior, and no more than a Parhelion^ in respect of the sun; 
for though that meteor is splendid, and resembles the sun, 
yet it resides in a cloud, and is not only much beneath the 
sun in distance, but inferior in bigness and splendor." 



+ Jerem. x. 7 — 13. 

+ A Parhelion or Mock-Sun, is a meteor in the form of a very bright 
light appearing on one Bide of the sun, and somewhat resembling 
trance of that luminary. This phenomenon is supposed to 
be produced by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays from a 
Watery doad. Sometimes three or four of these parhelia, all ol 
them bearing a certain r< semblance to the real sun. have beei 
nt one time, 



G4 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

In short, were we habitually to cherish that profound 
veneration of God which his works are calculated to in- 
spire, with what humility would we approach the presence 
of this August Being ! with what emotions of awe would 
we present our adorations ! and with what reverence would 
we talk of his inscrutable purposes and incomprehensible 
operations ! We would not talk about him, as some writers 
have done, with the same ease and indifference, as a ma- 
thematician would talk about the properties of a triangle, 
or a philosopher, about the effects of a mechanical engine ; 
nor would we treat, with a spirit of levity, any of the so- 
lemn declarations of his word, or the mighty movements 
of his providence. We would be ever ready to join with 
ardor in the sublime devotions of the inspired writers, 
" Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Al- 
mighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 
Who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ? 
Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of 
the world stand in awe of him." 

Lastly, the views we have taken of the omnipotence 
and grandeur of the Deity are calculated to inspire us 
tviih hope and confidence in the prospect of that eternal 
existence ivhich lies before us. The period of our exist- 
ence in this terrestrial scene will soon terminate, and 
those bodies through which we now hold a correspond- 
ence with the visible creation, crumble into dust. The 
gradual decay, and the ultimate dissolution of human bo- 
dies, present a scene at which reason stands aghast ; and, 
on a cursory survey of the chambers of the dead, it is apt 
to exclaim, in the language of despair, " Can these dry 
bones live ?" A thousand difficulties crowd upon the mind 
which appear repugnant to the idea, that " beauty shall 
again spring out of ashes, and life out of the dust." But, 
when we look abroad to the displays of Divine power and 
intelligence, in the wide expanse of Creation, we per* 
ceive, that 

"Almighty God 

Has done much more ; nor is his arm impaired 
Through length of days. — And what he can, he will : 
His faithfulness stands bound to see it done." 

We perceive that he has created systems in such vast 
profusion, that no man can number them. The worlds 



OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 65 

every moment under his superintendence and direction, are 
unquestionably far more numerous than all the human be- 
ings who have hitherto existed, or will yet exist till the 
close of time. And, if he has not only arranged the ge- 
neral features of each of these worlds, and established the 
physical laws, by which its economy is regulated, but has 
also arranged the diversified circumstances, and directs the 
minutest movements of the myriads of sensitive and intel- 
lectual existences it contains, we ought never, for a moment, 
to doubt, that the minutest particles of every human body, 
however widely separated from each other, and mingled 
with other extraneous substances, are known to him whose 
presence pervades all space ; and that all the atoms requi- 
site for the construction of the Resurrection-body will be 
re-assembled for this purpose " by the energy of that mighty 
power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. 5 ' 
If we suppose that a number of human beings, amounting 
to three hundred thousand millions, shall start from the 
grave into new life, at the general resurrection, and that 
the atoms of each of these bodies are just now under the 
special superintendence of the Almighty — and that, at least 
an equal number of worlds are under his particular care and 
direction — the exertion of power and intelligence, in the 
former case, cannot be supposed to be greater than what is 
requisite in the latter. To a Being possessed of Infinite 
Power, conjoined with boundless Intelligence, the superin- 
tendence of countless atoms, and of countless worlds, is 
equally easy, where no contradiction is implied. For, as 
the poet has well observed, — 

" lie summons into being, with like ease 
A whole creation, and a single grain." 

And since this subject tends to strengthen our hope of a 
resurrection from the dead, it is also calculated to inspire 
us with confidence in the prospect of those eternal scenes 
which will burst upon the view, at the dissolution of all 
terrestrial things. Beyond the period fixed for the confla- 
gration of this world, " a wide and unbounded prospect 
lie-; before us ;" and though, at present, " shadows, clouds, 
and darkness rest upon it," yet the boundless magnificence 
of the Divine empire which science has unfolded, throws a 
radiance over the scenes of futurity, which is fraught with 

8* 



(>6 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

consolation, in the view of " the wrecks of matter, and the 
crush of worlds." It opens to us a prospect of perpetual 
improvement in knowledge and felicity ; it presents a field 
in which the human faculties may be for ever expanding, 
for ever contemplating new scenes of grandeur rising to 
the view, in boundless perspective, through an interminable 
succession of existence. It convinces us, that the happi- 
ness of the eternal state will not consist in an unvaried re- 
petition of the same perception and enjoyments, but that 
new displays of the Creators glory will be continually 
bursting on the astonished mind, world without end. And 
as we know, that the same beneficence and care which are 
displayed in the arrangements of systems of worlds, are 
also displayed in supporting and providing for the smallest 
microscopic animalculse, we have no reason to harbor the 
least fear, lest we should be overlooked in the immensity 
of creation, or lost amidst the multiplicity of those works 
among which the Deity is incessantly employed ; for, as 
he is Omnipresent and Omniscient, his care and influence 
must extend to every creature he has formed. Therefore* 
though " the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the 
earth, and all the works therein be dissolved, yet, we, ac- 
cording to his promise, look for new heavens and a new 
*arth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 



Section III. 

On the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deity. 

In surveying the system of nature with a Christian and 
a Philosophic eye, it may be considered in different points 
of view. It may be viewed either as displaying the power 
and magnificence of the Deity, in the immense quantity of 
materials of which it is composed, and in the august ma- 
chinery and movements by which its economy is directed : 
—or, as manifesting his Wisdom, in the nice adaptation of 
every minute circumstance to the end it was intended to 
accomplish ;-— or, as illustrating his unbounded beneficence 



WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 67 

in the provision which is made for the accommodation and 
happiness of the numerous tribes of sentient and intelligent 
beings it contains. Having, in the preceding section, en- 
deavored to exhibit some of those objects which evince the 
Omnipotence of Deity, and the pious emotions they arc 
calculated to excite, I shall now offer a few popular illus- 
trations of Divine Wisdom as displayed in the arrange- 
ments of the material world — which shall chiefly be con- 
fined to those objects which are most prominent and obvi- 
ous to the vulgar eye. 

Wisdom is that perfection of an intelligent agent, by 
which he is enabled to select and employ the most proper 
means in order to accomplish a good and important end. 
It includes the idea of knowledge or intelligence, but may 
be distinguished from it. Knowledge is opposed to igno- 
rance, Wisdom is opposed to folly or error in conduct. As 
applied to God, it may be considered as comprehending the 
operations of his Omniscience and Benevolence, or, in 
other words, his knowledge to discern, and his disposition 
to choose those means and ends which are calculated to 
promote the order and the happiness of the universe. 

The Wisdom of God is, doubtless, displayed in every 
arrangement he has made throughout all the provinces of 
his immense and eternal kingdom, however far they may 
be removed from the sphere of human observation. But it 
is only in those part3 of the system of nature which lie open 
to our particular investigation, that the traces of this per- 
fection can be distinctly perceived. The Heavens declare 
the glory of God's Wisdom, as well as of his Power. The 
planetary system — that portion of the heavens with which 
we are best acquainted — displays both the magnificence 
and the skill of its Divine Author, — in the magnitudes, dis- 
tances, revolutions, proportions, and uses of the very 
globes of which it is composed, and in the diversified ap- 
paratus by which light and darkness are alternately distri- 
buted. The sun, an immense luminous world, by far the 
largest body in the system, is placed in the centre. No 
other position would have suited for an equable distribution 
of illumination and heat through the different parts of the 
system. Around him, at different distances, eleven primary 
planets revolve, accompanied with eighteen secondaries 



OS THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

or moons, — all in majestic order and harmony, no one inter- 
rupting the movements of another, but invariably keeping 
the paths prescribed them, and performing their revolutions 
in their appointed times. To all these revolving globes the 
sun dispenses motion, light, heat, fertility, and other un- 
ceasing energies, for the comfort and happiness of their 
respective inhabitants — without which, perpetual sterility, 
eternal winter, and eternal night, would reign over every 
region of our globe, and throughout surrounding worlds. 

The distance at which the heavenly bodies, particularly 
the sun, are placed from the earth, is a manifest evidence 
of Divine Wisdom. If the sun were much nearer us than 
he is at present, the earth, as now constituted, would be 
wasted and parched with excessive heat ; the waters 
would be turned into vapor, and the rivers, seas, and oceans, 
would soon disappear, leaving nothing behind them but 
frightful barren dells and gloomy caverns ; vegetation 
would completely cease, and the tribes of animated nature 
languish and die. On the other hand, were the sun much 
farther distant than he now is, or were his bulk, or the in- 
fluence of his rays, diminished one half of what they now 
are, the land and the ocean would soon become one frozen 
mass, and universal desolation and sterility would over- 
spread the fair face of nature, and, instead of a pleasant 
and comfortable abode, our globe would become a fright- 
ful desert, a state of misery and perpetual punishment.* 
But herein is the wisdom of God displayed, that he has 
formed the sun of such a determinate size, and placed 
it at such a convenient distance, as not to annoy, but to 
refresh and cheer us, and to enliven the soil with its ge- 

+ It forms no objection to these remarks, that caloric, or the matter 
of heat, does not altogether depend upon the direct influence of the 
solar rays. The substance of caloric jnay be chiefly connected with 
the constitution of the globe we inhabit. But still, it is quite certain, 
that the earth, as presently constituted, would suffer effects most dis- 
astrous to sentient beings, were it removed much nearer to, or much 
farther from the central luminary. Those planets which are removed 
several hundreds of millions of miles farther from the sun than our 
globe, may possibly experience a degree of heat much greater than 
ours ; but, in this case, the constitution of the solid parts of these 
globes, and of their surrounding atmospheres, must be very different 
fpom what obtains in the physical arrangements of our globe. 



WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 69 

liial influence ; so that we plainly perceive, to use the lan- 
guage of the prophet, that " He hath established the world 
by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his un- 
derstanding." 

The rotation of the several planetary globes around their 
axes, to produce the alternate succession of day and night, 
strikingly demonstrates the wisdom and benevolence of 
their great Author. Were the earth and the other planet- 
ary worlds destitute of a diurnal motion, only one half of 
their surfaces could be inhabited, and the other half would 
remain a dark and cheerless desert. The sun would be 
the only heavenly orb which would be recognized by the 
inhabitants of each respective world, as existing in the 
universe, and that scene of grandeur which night unfolds 
in the boundless expanse of the sky, would be for ever veil- 
ed from their view. For, it appears to be one grand design 
of the Creator, in giving these bodies a diurnal motion, not 
only to cheer their inhabitants with li^ht and warmth, and 
the gay colouring produced by the solar rays ; but also to 
open to them a prospect of other portions of his vast do- 
minions, which are dispersed in endless variety through- 
out the illimitable regions of space ; in order that they may 
acquire a more sublime impression of the glory of his 
kingdom, and of his eternal Power and Godhead. But, 
were perpetual day to irradiate the planets, it would throw 
an eternal and impenetrable veil over the glories of the 
sky, behind which, the magnificent operations of Jeho- 
vah's power would be, in a great measure, concealed. It 
is this circumstance which we should consider as the 
principal reason why a rotatory motion has been in. pressed 
on the planetary globes ; and not merely that a curtain of 
darkness might be thrown around their inhabitants, during 
the repose of sleep, as in the world in which we dwell, 
For, in some of the other planetary worlds belonging to 
our system, the intelligent beings with which they are peo- 
pled, may stand in no need of that nocturnal repose which 
is necessary for man ; their physical powers may be inca- 
pable of being impaired, and their mental energies may be 
in perpetual exercise. And in some of those bodies which 
are surrounded with an assemblage of rings and moons, as 
the planet Saturn, the diversified grandeur of their celestial 



TO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

phenomena, in the absence of the sun, may present a scene 
of contemplation and enjoyment, far more interesting than 
all the splendors of their noon day. Besides, had the 
planets no motion round their axes, and were both their 
hemispheres supposed to be peopled with inhabitants, their 
physical state and enjoyments would be as opposite to each 
other, as if they lived under the government of two distinct 
independent Beings. While the one class was basking 
under the splendors of perpetual day, the other would be 
involved in all the horrors of an everlasting night. While 
the one hemisphere would be parched with excessive heat, 
the other would be bound in the fetters of eternal ice ; 
and, in such a globe as ours, the motion of the tides, the 
ascent of the vapors, the current of the atmosphere, the 
course of the winds, the benign influences of the rains and 
dews, and a thousand other movements which produce so 
many salutary and beneficial effects, would be completely 
deranged. Hence we find, that in all the planetary bodies 
on which observations can conveniently be made, a rota- 
tory motion actually exists, in the secondary, as well as in 
the primary planets, and even in the sun hirnseif, the cen- 
tre, and the mover of the whole : in which arrangement 
of the Almighty Creator, the evidences of wisdom and de- 
sign are strikingly apparent. 

This amazing scene of Divine workmanship and skill, 
which the planetary system exhibits, we have reason to be- 
lieve, is multiplied, and diversified, to an indefinite extent, 
throughout all the other systems of creation, displaying to 
the intelligences of every region, " the manifold wisdom of 
God." For there can be no question, that every star we 
now behold, either by the naked eye, or by the help of a 
telescope, is the centre of a system of planetary worlds, 
where the agency of God, and his unsearchable wisdom, 
may be endlessly varied, and, perhaps, more strikingly dis- 
played than even in the system to which we belong. These 
vast globes of light could never have been designed merely 
to shed a few glimmering rays on our far distant world ; 
for the ten thousandth part of them has never yet been 
seen by the inhabitants of the earth, since the Mosaic crea- 
tion, except by a few astronomers of the past and the present 
age : and the light of many of them, in all probability, has 



WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 71 

never yet reached us ; and perhaps never will, till the pe- 
riod of " the consummation of all terrestrial things." They 
were not made in vain ; for such a supposition would be 
inconsistent with every idea we can form of the attributes 
of a being of infinite perfection. They were not intended 
merely to diversify the voids of infinite space with a useless 
splendor which has no relation to intellectual natures ; for 
this would give us a most distorted and inconsistent idea of 
the character of Him who is kt the only wise God ;" and 
we are told, by an authority which cannot be questioned, 
that w by his wisdom he made the heavens, and stretched 
them out by his understanding.'' The only rational con- 
clusion, therefore, which can be deduced, is, that they are 
destined to distribute illumination and splendor, vivifying 
influence, and happiness, among incalculable numbers of 
intelligent beings, of various degrees of physical, moral, 
and intellectual excellence. And, wherever the Creator 
has exerted his Almighty energies in the production of sen- 
sitive and intellectual natures, we may rest assured, that 
there also, his infinite wisdom and intelligence, in an end- 
less variety of arrangements, contrivances, and adapta- 
tions, are unceasingly displayed. 

But, after all, whatever evidences of contrivance and 
design the celestial globe may exhibit, it is not in the hea- 
vens that the most striking displays of Divine ivisdom can 
be traced by the inhabitants of our world. It is only a few 
general relations and adaptations that can be distinctly per- 
ceived among the orbs of the firmament ; though, in so far 
a- we are able to trace the purposes which they subserve, 
the marks of beauty, order, and design, are uniformly ap- 
parent. But v\ e are placed at too great a distance from the 
orbs of heaven, to be able to investigate the particular 
arrangements which enter into the physical and moral eco- 
nomy of the celestial worlds. Were we transported to the 
surface of the planet Jupiter and had an opportunity of 
surveying, at leisure, the regions of that vast globe, and the 
tribes of sensitive and intellectual existence which compose 
its population — of contemplating the relations of its moons; 
to the pleasure and comfort of its inhabitants — the consti- 
tution of its atmosphere as to its reflective and refractive 
powers, in producing a degree of illumination to compen 



72 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHEB* 

sate for the great distance of that planet from the sun — its 
adaptation to the functions of animal life — the construction 
of the visual organs of its inhabitants, and the degree of 
sensibility they possess, corresponding to the quantity of 
light received from the sun — the temperature of the surface 
and atmosphere of this globe corresponding to its distance 
from the central source of heat, and to the physical con- 
stitution of sensitive beings — in short, could we investigate 
the relations which inanimate nature, in all its varieties and 
sublimities, bears to the necessities and the happiness of 
the animated existences that traverse its different regions, 
we should, doubtless, behold a scene of Divine wisdom and 
intelligence, far more admirable and astonishing than even 
that which is exhibited in our sublunary world. — But since 
it is impossible for us to investigate the economy of other 
worlds, while we are chained down to this terrestrial 
sphere, we must direct our attention to those arrangements 
and contrivances in the constitution of our own globe, which 
lie open to our particular inspection, in order to perceive 
more distinctly the benevolent designs of Him " in whom 
we live and move and have our being." And here an at- 
tentive observer will find, in almost every object, when mi- 
nutely examined, a display of goodness and intelligence, 
which will constrain him to exclaim. " O the depth of the 
riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God !" 

Wisdom, considered as consisting in contrivance, or the 
selection of the most proper means in order to accomplish 
an important end, may be exemplified and illustrated in a 
variety of familiar objects in the scene of nature. 

The earth on which we tread, was evidently intended by 
the Creator to support man and other animals, along with 
their habitations, and to furnish those vegetable productions 
which are necessary for their subsistence ; and, according- 
ly, he has given it that exact degree of consistency which 
is requisite for these purposes. Were it much harder than 
it now is ; were it, for example, as dense as a rock, it would 
be incapable of cultivation, and vegetables could not be 
produced from its surface. Were it softer, it would be in- 
sufficient to support us, and we should sink at every step, 
like a person walking in a quagmire. Had this circum- 
stance not been attended to in its formation, the earth 



MOUNTAINS. 73 

would have been rendered useless as a habitable world, fou 
all those animated beings which now traverse its surface. 
The exact adjustment of the solid parts of our globe to the 
nature and necessities of the beings which inhabit it, is 
therefore an instance, and an evidence of wisdom. 

The diversity of surface which it every where presents, 
in the mountains and vales with which it is variegated, indi- 
cates the same benevolent contrivance and design. If the 
earth were divested of its mountains, and its surface every 
where uniformly smooth, there would be no rivers, springs, 
or fountains ; for water can flow only from a higher to a 
lower place ; the vegetable tribes would droop and lan- 
guish ; man and other animals would be deprived of what 
is necessary for their existence and comfort ; we should be 
destitute of many useful stones, minerals, plants, and trees, 
which are now produced on the surface, and in the interior of 
mountains ; the sea itself would become a stagnant marsh, 
or overflow the land ; and the whole surface of nature in 
our terrestrial sphere, would present an unvaried scene of 
dull uniformity. Those picturesque and sublime scenes 
which fire the imagination of the poet, and which render 
mountainous districts so pleasing to the philosophic travel- 
ler, would be completely withdrawn ; and all around, when 
compared with such diversified landscapes, would appear as 
fatiguing to the eye as the vast solitudes of the Arabian de- 
serts, or the dull monotony of the ocean. But, in conse- 
quence of the admirable distribution of hills and mountains 
over the surface of our globe, a variety of useful and orna- 
mental effects is produced. Their lofty summits are desti- 
ned by Providence to arrest the vapors which float in the 
regions of the air; their internal cavities form so many 
spacious basins for the reception of water distilled from the 
clouds ; they are the original sources of springs and rivers, 
which water and fertilize the earth ; they form immense 
magazines, in which are deposited stones, metals, and 
minerals, which are of so essential service in the arts that 
promote the comfort of human life ; they serve for the pro- 
duction of a vast variety of herbs and trees ; they arrest the 
progress of storms and tempests ; they afford shelter and 
entertainment to various animals which minister to the 
wants of mankind : in a word, they adorn and embellish 

7 



74 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

the face of nature — they form thousands of sublime and 
beautiful landscapes, and afford from their summits the 
most delightful prospects of the plains below. All these 
circumstances demonstrate the consummate wisdom of the 
Great Architect of nature, and lead us to conclude, that 
mountains, so far from being rude excrescences of nature, 
as some have asserted, form an essential part in the con- 
stitution, not only of our globe, but of all habitable worlds, 
And this conclusion is confirmed, so far as our observation 
extends, with regard to the moon, and several of the planet- 
ary bodies which belong to our system, whose surfaces are 
found to be diversified by sublime ramifications of moun- 
tain scenery ; which circumstance forms one collateral 
proof, among many others, that they are the abodes of sen- 
tient and intellectual beings. 

Again, the coloring which is spread over the face of na- 
ture indicates the wisdom of the Deity. It is essential to 
the present mode of our existence, and it was evidently in- 
tended by the Creator, that we should be enabled easily to 
recognize the forms and properties of the various objects 
with which we are surrounded. But were the objects of 
nature destitute of color, or were the same unvaried hue 
spread over the face of creation, we should be destitute of 
all the entertainments of vision, and be at a loss to distin- 
guish one object from another. We should be unable to 
distinguish rugged precipices from fruitful hills ; naked 
rocks from human habitations ; the trees from the hills that 
bear them, and the tilled from the untilled lands. "We 
should hesitate to pronounce whether an adjacent enclosure 
contain a piece of pasturage, a plot of arable land, or a field 
of corn ; and it would require a little journey, and a minute 
investigation, to determine such a point. We could not 
determine whether the first person we met were a soldier 
in his regimentals, or a swain in his Sunday suit ; a bride 
in her ornaments, or a widow in her weeds." Such would 
have been the aspect of nature, and such the inconvenien- 
ces to which we should have been subjected, had God 
allowed us light, without the distinction of colors. We 
could have distinguished objects only by intricate trains of 
reasoning, and by circumstances of time, place, and relative 
po3itioa. And, to what delays and perplexities should we 



COLORS. 75 

have been reduced, had we been obliged every moment to 
distinguish one thing from another by reasoning ! Our 
whole life must then have been employed, rather in study 
than in action ; and, after all, we must have remained in 
eternal uncertainty as to many things, which are now quite 
obvious to every one as soon as he opens his eyes. We 
could neither have comm anicated our thoughts by writing, 
nor have derived instruction from others through the me- 
dium of books : so that we should now have been almost 
as ignorant of the transactions of past ages, as we are of the 
events which are passing in the planetary worlds ; and con- 
sequently, we could never have enjoyed a written revelation 
from heaven, nor any other infallible guide to direct us in 
the path to happiness, if the Almighty had not distinguish- 
ed the rays of light, and painted the objects around us with 
a diversity of colors, — so essentially connected are the 
minutest, and the most magnificent works of Deity. But 
now, in the present constitution of things, color charac- 
terizes the class to which every individual belongs, and 
indicates, upon the first inspection, its respective quality. 
Every object wears its peculiar livery, and has a distin- 
guishing mark by which it is characterized. 

The different hues which are spread over the scenery 
of the world, are also highly ornamental to the face of 
nature, and afford a variety of pleasures to the eye, and the 
imagination. It is this circumstance which a<ids a charm 
to the fields, the valleys, and the hills, the lofty moun- 
tain, the winding river, and the expansive lake ; and 
which gives a splendor and sublimity to the capacious 
vault of heaven. Color, is therefore, an essential requisite 
to every world inhabited by sensitive beings ; and we know, 
that provision has been made for diffusing it throughout ail 
the globes which may exist in the distant regions which our 
telescopes have penetrated ; for the light which radiates 
from the most distant stars is capable of being separated 
into the prismatic colors, similar to those which are pro- 
duced by the solar rays ; which furnishes a presumptive 
proof, that they are intended to accomplish designs in their 
respective spheres analagous to those which light sub- 
serves in our terrestrial habitation, — or, in other words, 
that they are destined to convey to the minds of sentient 



76 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

beings, impressions of light and color ; and, consequently, 
beings susceptible of such impressions must reside within 
the sphere, or more immediate influence of these far dis- 
tant orbs. 

The same benevolent design is apparent in the general 
color which prevails throughout the scene of sublunary na- 
ture. Had the fields been clothed with hues of a deep 
red, or a brilliant white, the eye would have been dazzled 
with the splendor of their aspect. Had a dark-blue, or a 
black color, generally prevailed, it would have cast a uni- 
versal gloom over the face of nature. But an agreeable 
green holds the medium between these two extremes, 
equally remote from a dismal gloom and excessive splen- 
dor, and bears such a relation to the structure of the eye, 
that it refreshes, instead of tiring it, and supports, instead 
of diminishing its force. At the same time, though one 
general color prevails over the landscape of the earth, it is 
diversified by an admirable variety of shades, so that 
every individual object in the vegetable world can be ac- 
curately distinguished from another ; thus producing a 
beautiful and variegated appearance over the whole sce- 
nery of nature. " Who sees not in all these things, that 
the hand of the Lord hath wrought this ? M 

If, from the earth we turn our attention to the ivaters, 
we shall perceive similar traces of the exquisite wisdom and 
skill of the Author of Nature. Water is one of the most 
essential elementary parts in the constitution of our globe, 
without which the various tribes of beings which now people 
it could not exist. It supplies a necessary beverage to man, 
and to all the animals that people the earth and the air. It 
forms a solvent for a great variety of solid bodies ; it is the 
element in which an infinitude of organized beings pass 
their existence ; it acts an important part in conveying life 
and nourishment to all the tribes of the vegetable kingdom, 
and gives salubrity to the atmospherical regions. Collected 
in immense masses in the basins of the sea, it serves as & 
vehicle for ships, and as a medium of communication 
between people of the most distant lands. Carried along 
with a progressive motion over the beds of streams and of 
rivers, it gives a brisk impulse to the air, and prevents the 
unwholesome stagnation of vapors ; it receives the filth of 



WATERS. 71 

populous cities, and rids them of a thousand nuisances. 
By its impulsion it becomes the mover of a multitude of 
machines ; and, when rarified into steam, it is transformed 
into one of the most powerful and useful agents under the 
dominion of man. All which beneficial effects entirely 
depend on the exact degree of density, or specific gravity, 
which the Creator has given to its constituent parts. Had 
it been much more rarified than it is, it would have been 
altogether unfit :o answer the purposes now specified ; the 
whole face of the earth would have been a dry and barren 
waste ; vegetable nature could not have been nourished ; 
our floating edifices could not have been supported ; the 
lightest bodies would have sunk, and all regular intercourse 
with distant nations would have been prevented. On the 
other hand, had its parts been much denser than they are ; 
for example, had they been of the consistency of a thin 
jelly, similar disastrous effects would have inevitably fol- 
lowed ; no ships could have ploughed the ocean ; no re- 
freshing beverage would have been supplied to the animal 
tribes ; the absorbent vessels of trees, herbs and flowers, 
would have been unable to imbibe the moisture requisite for 
their nourishment ; and we should thus have been deprived 
of all the beneficial effects we now derive from the use of 
that liquid element, and of all the diversified scenery of 
the vegetable world. But the configuration and consis- 
tency of its parts are so nicely adjusted to the constitution 
of the other elements, and to the wants of the sensitive 
and vegetable tribes, as exactly to subserve the ends in- 
tended in the system of nature. 

"Water has been ascertained to be a compound body 
formed by the union of tv\o different kinds of air — oxygen 
and hydrogen. It has the property of becoming, in certain 
cases, much lighter than air ; though in its natural liquid 
Biate, it is 800 times heavier than that fluid ; and has also 
the property of afterwards resuming its natural weight. 
Were it not for this property, evaporation could not be 
produced ; and, consequently, no clouds, rain, nor dew, 
could be formed, to water and fertilize the different regions 
of the earth. But, in consequence of this wonderful pro- 
perty, the ocean becomes an inexhaustible cistern to our 
world. From its expansive surface are exhaled those 



78 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

vapors which supply the rivers, and nourish the vegetable 
productions of every land. " The air and the sun," says 
an elegant writer, " constitute the mighty engine which 
works without intermission to raise the liquid treasures : 
while the clouds serve as so many aqueducts to convey 
them along the atmosphere, and distribute them, at sea- 
sonable periods, and in regular proportions, through all the 
regions of the globe." 

Notwithstanding the properties now stated, motion was 
still requisite, to ensure all the advantages we now derive 
from the liquid element. Had the whole mass of waters 
been in a stagnant state, a thousand inconveniences and 
disastrous consequences would have inevitably ensued. 
But the All-Wise Creator has impressed upon its various 
masses a circulating motion, which preserves its purity, and 
widely extends its beneficial influence. The rills pour their 
liquid stores into the rivers ; the rivers roll their watery 
treasures into the ocean ; the waters of the ocean, by a 
libratory motion, roll backwards and forwards every twelve 
hours, and, by means of currents, and the force of winds, 
are kept in constant agitation. By the solar heat, a por- 
tion of these waters is carried up into the atmosphere, and. 
in the form of clouds, is conveyed by the winds over vari- 
ous regions ; till, at last, it descends in rain and dew, to 
supply the springs " which run among the hills." So that 
there is a constant motion and circulation of the watery 
element, that it may serve as an agent for carrying for- 
ward the various processes of nature, and for ministering 
to the wants of man and beast. 

In fine, were the waters in a state of perpetual stagna- 
tion, the filth of populous cities would be accumulated to 
a most unwholesome degree ; the air would be filled with 
putrid exhalations, and the vegetable tribes would languish 
and die. Were they deprived of the property of being eva- 
porated, (in which state they occupy a space 1400 times 
greater than in their liquid state,) rain and dew could never 
be produced, and the earth would be turned into " a dry 
and parched wilderness ;" neither grass nor corn could be 
sufficiently dried to lay up for use ; our clothes, when 
washed, could never be dried ; and a variety of common 
operations, which now conduce to our convenience and 
comfort, could never be carried on. But the infinite wis- 



X 



ATMOSPHERE. IS 

dom of the Creator, foreseeing all the effects which can 
possibly arise from these principles of nature, has effectu- 
ally provided against such disasters, by arranging all 
things, in number, weight, and measure, to subserve the 
beneficial ends for which they were ordained. " He 
causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth ; 
he sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among 
the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field ; the 
wild asses quench their thirst. By them the fowls of 
heaven are refreshed, which sing among the branches* 
He watereth the hills from his chambers, and the earth is 
satisfied with the fruit of his works." 

Let us now attend to the atmosphere, in the constitution 
of which the wisdom of God is no less conspicuous than 
in the other departments of nature. 

The atmosphere is one of the most essential appenda- 
ges to the globe we inhabit, and exhibits a most striking 
scene of Divine skill and omnipotence. The term atmos- 
phere is applied to the whole mass of fluids, consisting of 
air, vapors, electric fluid, and other matters, which sur- 
round the earth to a certain height. This mass of fluid 
matter gravitates to the earth, revolves with it in its diur- 
nal rotation, and is carried along with it in its course round 
the sun every year. It has been computed to extend about 
45 miles above the earth's surface, and it presses on the 
earth with a force proportioned to its height and density. 
From experiments made by the barometer, it has been as- 
certained, that it presses with a weight of about 15 pounds 
on every square inch of the earth's surface ; and, there- 
fore, its pressure on the body of a middle-sized man is equal 
to about 32,0001bs, or 14 tons avoirdupois, a pressure 
which would be insupportable, and even fatal, were it not 
equal in every part, and counterbalanced by the spring of 
the air within us. The pressure of the whole atmosphere 
upon the earth, is computed to be equivalent to that of a 
globe of lead 60 miles in diameter, or about 5,000,000,000,- 
000,000 tons; that is, the whole mass of air which sur- 
rounds the globe, compresses the earth with a force or power 
equal to that of five thousand millions of millions of tons.* 



* See Appendix, No. II, 



dO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 

This amazing pressure is, however, essentially necessary 
for the preservation of the present constitution of our globe, 
and of the animated beings which dwell on its surface. It 
prevents the heat of the sun from converting water and all 
other fluids on the face of the earth, into vapor ; and pre* 
serves the vessels of all organized beings in due tone and 
vigor. Were the atmospherical pressure entirely removed, 
the elastic fluids contained in the finer vessels of men and 
other animals, would inevitably burst them, and life would 
become extinct ;* and most of the substances on the face of 
the earth,particularly liquids,would be dissipated into vapor. 
The atmosphere is now ascertained to be a compound 
substance, formed of two very different ingredients, termed 
oxygen and nitrogen gas. Of 100 measures or atmospheric 
air, 21 are oxygen, and 79 nitrogen. The one, namely, 
oxygen, is the principle of combustion, and the vehicle of 
heat, and is absolutely necessary for the support of animal 
life, and is the most powerful and energetic agent in nature. 
The other is altogether incapable of supporting either flame 
or animal life. Were we to breathe oxygen air, without any 
mixture or alloy, our animal spirits would be raised, and 
the fluids in our bodies would circulate with greater rapi- 
dity : but we should soon infallibly perish by the rapid and 
unnatural accumulation of heat in the animal frame. If 
the nitrogen were extracted from the air, and the whole at- 
mosphere contained nothing but oxygen or vital air, com- 
bustion would not proceed in that gradual manner which it 



* The necessity of the atmospherical pressure, for the comfort and 
preservation of animal life, mi^ht be illustrated by the effects expe- 
rienced by those who have ascended to the summits of very high 
mountains, or who have been carried to a great height above the 
surface of the earth in balloons. Acosta, in his relation of a journey 
among the mountains of Peru, states, that '* he and his companions 
were surprised with such extreme pangs of straining and vomiting, 
not without casting up of blood too, and with so violent a distemper, 
that they would undoubtedly have died had they remained two or 
three hours longer in that elevated situation," Count Zambeccari. 
and his companions, who ascended in a balloon, on the 7th of Novem- 
ber, 1783, to a great height, found their hands and feet so swelled, 
that it was necessary for a surgeon to make incisions in the skin. In 
both the cases now stated, the persons ascended to so great a height, 
that the pressure of the atmosphere was not sufficient to counter- 
balance the pressure of the fluids of the body. 



ATMOSPHERE. 81 

now does, but with the most dreadful and irresistible rapi- 
dity : not only wood and coals, and other substances now 
used for fuel, but even stones, iron, and other metallic sub- 
stances, would blaze with a rapidity which would carry de- 
struction through the whole expanse of nature. If even the / 
proportions of the two airs were materially altered, a va- 
riety of pernicious effects would instantly be produced. If 
the oxygen were less in quantity than it now is, fire would 
lose its strength, candles would not diffuse a sufficient 
light, and animals would perform their vital functions with 
the utmost difficulty and pain. On the other hand, were 
the nitrogen diminished, and the oxygen increased, the air 
taken in by respiration would be more stimulant, and the 
circulation of the animal fluids would become accelerated ; 
but the tone of the vessels thus stimulated to increased ac- 
tion, would be destroyed, by too great an excitement, and 
the body would inevitably waste and decay. Again, were 
the oxygen completely extracted from the atmosphere, and 
nothing but nitrogen remained, fire and flame would be 
extinguished, and instant destruction would be carried 
throughout all the departments of vegetable and animated 
nature. For a lighted taper will not burn for a single mo- 
ment in nitrogen gas, and if an animal be plunged into it, 
it is instantly suffocated. 

Again, not only the extraction of any one of the compo- 
nent parts of the atmosphere, or the alteration of their re- 
spective proportions, but even the slightest increase or di- 
minution of their specific gravity, would be attended with 
the most disastrous effects. The nitrogen is tound to be 
a little lighter than common air, which enables it to rise 
towards the higher regions of the atmosphere. In breath- 
ing, the air which is evolved from the lungs, at every expi- 
ration, consists chiefly of nitrogen, which is entirely unfit 
to be breathed again, and therefore rises above our heads 
before the next inspiration. Now, had nitrogen, instead 
of being a little lighter, been a slight degree heavier than 
common air, or of the same specific gravity, it would have 
accumulated on the surface of the earth, and particularly 
in our apartments, to such a degree as to have produced 
diseases, pestilence, and death, in rapid succession. But 
being u little lighter than the surrounding air, it flies up- 



#2 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

wards, and we never breathe it again, till it enter into new 
and salutary combinations. Such is the benevolent skill 
which the Author of Nature has displayed, for promoting 
the comfort and preservation of every thing that lives.* 

Farther, ivere the air colored, or were its particles much 
larger than than they are, we could never obtain a distinct 
view of any other object. The exhalations which rise from 
the earth, being rendered visible, would disfigure the rich 
landscape of the universe, and render life disagreeable. 
But the Almighty, by rendering the air invisible, has ena- 
bled us not only to take a delightful and distinct survey of 
the objects that surround us, but has veiled from our view 
the gross humors incessantly perspired from animal bodies, 
the filth exhaled from kitchens, streets, and sewers, and 
every other object that would excite disgust. Again, were 
the different 'portions of the atmosphere completely station' 
ary, and not susceptible of agitation, all nature would soon 
be thrown into confusion. The vapors which are exhaled 
from the sea by the heat of the sun would be suspended, 
and remain for ever fixed over those places from whence 
they arose. For want of this agitation of the air, which 
now scatters and disperses the clouds over every region, 
the sun would constantly scorch some districts, and be for 
ever hid from others ; the balance of nature would be de- 
stroyed ; navigation would be useless, and we could no 
longer enjoy the productions of different climates. In fine, 

* The necessity of atmospherical air for the support of life, was 
strikingly exemplified in the fate of the unhappy men who died in 
the Black-hole of Calcutta. On the 20th of June, 1756, about 8 
o'clock in the evening;, 146 men were forced, at the point of the 
bayonet, into a dungeon only 18 feet square. They had been but a 
few minutes confined in this infernal prison, before every one fell 
into a perspiration so profuse, that no idea can be formed of it. This 
brought on a raging thirst, the most difficult respiration, and an out- 
rageous delirium. Such was the horror of their situation, that every 
insult that could be devised against the guard without, and all the 
opprobrious names that the Viceroy and his officers could be loaded 
with, were repeated, to provoke the guard to fire upon them, and 
terminate their sufferings. Before 11 o'clock the same evening, one- 
third of the men were dead ; and before 6 next morning, only 23 
came out alive, but most of them in a high putrid fever. All 
these dreadful effects were occasioned by the want of atmospheric 
air, and by their breathing a superabundant quantity of the nitrogen 
emitted from their lungs. 



ATMOSPHERE, 83 

were the atmosphere capable of being frozen, or convert- 
ed into a solid mass, as all other fluids are, (and we know 
no reason why it should not be subject to congelation, but 
the will of the Creator,) the lives of every animal in the air, 
the waters, and the earth, would, in a few moments, be com- 
pletely extinguished. But the admirable adjustment of 
every circumstance, in relation to this useful element, pro- 
duces all the beneficial effect which we now experience, 
and strikingly demonstrates, that the Intelligent Contriver 
of all things is " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in 
working." 

From the instances now stated, we may plainly perceive, 
that if the Almighty had not a particular regard to the hap^ 
piness of his intelligent offspring, and to the comfort of 
every animated existence ; or, if he wished to 'inflict sum- 
mary punishment on a wicked world, he could easily effect, 
by a very slight change in the constitution of the atmos- 
phere, the entire destruction of the human race, and the 
entire conflagration of the great globe they inhabit, — 
throughout all its elementary regions. He has only to ex- 
tract one of its constituent parts, and the grand catastro- 
phe is at once accomplished. With what a striking pro- 
priety and emphasis, then, do the inspired writers declare, 
that, " In Him we live, and move, and have our being ;" 
and that, " in His hand is the soul of every living thing, 
and the breath of all mankind !" 

A great variety of other admirable properties is possessed 
by the atmosphere, of which I shall briefly notice only the 
following : — It is the vehicle of smells, by which we be- 
come acquainted with the qualities of the food which is set 
before us, and learn to avoid those places which are damp, 
unwholesome, and dangerous. It is the medium of sounds. 
by means of which knowledge is conveyed to our minds. 
Its undulations, like so many couriers, run for ever back- 
wards and forwards, to convey our thoughts to others, and 
theirs to us ; and to bring news of transactions which fre- 
quently occur at a considerable distance. A few strokes 
on a large bell, through the ministration of the air, will con- 
vey signals of distress, or of joy, in a quarter of a minute, 
to the population of a city containing a hundred thousand 
inhabitants. So that the air may be considered as the con- 



84 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

veyer of the thoughts of mankind, which are the cement of 
society. It transmits to our ears all the harmonies of mu- 
sic, and expresses every passion of the soul : it swells the 
notes of the nightingale, and distributes alike to every ear 
the pleasures which arise from the harmonious sounds of a 
concert. It produces the blue color of the sky, and is the 
cause of the morning and the evening twilight, by its pro- 
perty of bending the rays of light, and refleeting them in all 
directions. It forms an essential requisite for carrying on 
all the processes of the vegetable kingdom, and serves for 
the production of clouds, rain, and dew, which nourish and 
fertilize the earth. In short, it would be impossible to 
enumerate all the advantages we derive from this noble ap- 
pendage to our world. Were the earth divested of its at- 
mosphere,* or were only two or three of its properties 
changed or destroyed, it would be left altogether unfit for 
the habitation of sentient beings. Were it divested of its 
undulating quality, we should be deprived of all the advan- 
tages of speech and conversation — of all the melody of the 
feathered songsters, and of all the pleasures of music ; and, 
like the deaf and dumb, we could have no power of com- 
municating our thoughts but by visible signs. Were it de- 
prived of its reflective powers, the sun would appear in one 
part of the sky of a dazzling brightness, while all around 
would appear as dark as midnight, and the stars would be 
visible at noon-day. Were it deprived of its refractive 
powers, instead of the gradual approach of the day and the 
night which we now experience, at sun-rise, we should be 
transported all at once from midnight darkness to the splen- 
dor of noon -day : and, at sun-set, should make a sudden 
transition from the splendors of day to all the horrors of 
midnight, which would bewilder the traveller in his jour- 
ney, and strike the creation with amazement. In fine, 
were the oxygen of the atmosphere completely extracted, 
destruction would seize on all the tribes of the living world, 
throughout every region of earth, air, and sea. 

Omitting at present, the consideration of an indefinite va- 
riety of other particulars, which suggest themselves on this 
subject, I shall just notice one circumstance more, which 
has a relation both to the waters and to the atmosphere. It 
is a well known law of nature, that all bodies are expanded 



EXPANSION OF WATER IN FREEZING. 85 

by heat, and contracted by cold. There is only one ex- 
ception to this law which exists in the economy of our 
globe, and that is, the expansion of water in the act of 
freezing. — While the parts of every other body are re- 
duced in bulk, and their specific gravity increased by the 
application of cold ; water, on the contrary, when con- 
gealed into ice, is increased in bulk, and becomes of a less 
specific gravity than the surrounding water, and there- 
fore swims upon its surface. Now had the case been 
otherwise, had water, when deprived of a portion of its 
heat, followed the general law of nature, and like all other 
bodies become specifically heavier than it was before, the 
present constitution of nature would have been materially 
deranged, and many of our present comforts, and even our 
very existence, would have been endangered. At what- 
ever time the temperature of the atmosphere became re- 
duced to 32° of the common thermometer, or to what is 
called the freezing point, the water on the surface of our 
rivers and lakes would have been converted into a layer of 
ice ; this layer would have sunk to the bottom as it froze : 
another layer of ice would have been immediately pro- 
duced, which would also have sunk to the former layer, 
and so on in succession, till, in the course of time, ail our 
rivers, from the surface to the bottom, and every other por- 
tion of water, capable of being frozen, would have been 
converted into solid masses of ice, which all the heat of 
summer could never have melted. We should have been 
deprived of most of the advantages we now derive from 
the liquid^element, and in a short time the face of nature 
would have been transformed into a frozen chaos. But, 
in the existing constitution of things, all such dismal ef- 
fects are prevented, in consequence of the Creator having 
subjected the waters to a law contrary to that of other 
fluids, by means of which the frozen water swims upon 
the surface, and preserves the cold from penetrating to any 
great depth in the subjacent fluid ; and when the heat of 
the atmosphere is increased, it is exposed to its genial in 
lluence, and is quickly changed into its former liquid state. 
How admirably then does this exception to the general 
law of nature display the infinite intelligence of the Great 
Contriver of all things, and his providential care for the 

8 



S6 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

comfort of his creatures, when he arranged and established 
the economy of nature ! 

VARIETY OF NATURE. 

As a striking evidence of Divine Intelligence, we may 
next consider the immense variety which the Creator has 
introduced into every department of the maternal world. 

In every region on the surface of the globe, an endless 
multiplicity of objects, all differing from one another in 
shape, color, and motion, present themselves to the view 
of the beholder. Mountains covered with forests, hills 
clothed with verdure, spacious plains adorned with vine- 
yards, orchards, and waving grain ; naked rocks, abrupt 
precipices, extended vales, deep dells, meandering rivers, 
roaring cataracts, brooks and rills ; lakes and gulfs, bays 
and promontories, seas and oceans, caverns and grottos 
—meet the eye of the student of Nature, in every country, 
with a variety which is at once beautiful and majestic. 
Nothing can exceed the variety of the vegetable kingdom, 
which pervades all climates, and almost every portion of 
the dry land, and of the bed of the ocean. The immense 
collections of Natural History which are to be seen in the 
Museum at Paris, show that Botanists are already ac- 
quainted with nearly fifty-six thousand different species of 
plants.* And yet, it is probable, that these form but a very 
small portion of what actually exists, and that several hun- 
dreds of thousands of species remain to be explored by 
the industry of future ages. For, by far the greater part 
of the vegetable world still remains to be surveyed by the 
scientific botanist. Of the numerous tribes of vegetable 
nature which flourish in the interior of Africa and America, 
in the immense islands of New Holland, New Guinea, 
Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, Madagascar, and Japan ; 
in the vast regions of Tartary, Tibet, Siberia, and the Bir- 
man empire ; in the Philippines, the Moluccas, the La- 
drones, the Carolinas, the Marquesas, the Society, the 
Georgian, and in thousands of other Islands which are 
scattered over the Indian and Pacific oceans — little or 
nothing is known by the Naturalists of Europe; and vet ir 



* Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. July, 1822, p. 48, 



VARIETY OF NATURE. 87 

is a fact which admits of no dispute, that every country 
hitherto explored, produces a variety of species of plants 
peculiar to itself; and those districts in Europe which have 
been frequently surveyed, present to every succeeding ex- 
plorer a new field of investigation, and reward his industry 
with new discoveries of the beauties and varieties of the 
vegetable kingdom. It has been conjectured by some 
Naturalists, on the ground of a multitude of observations, 
that " there is not a square league of earth, but what pre- 
sents some one plant peculiar to itself, or, at least, which 
thrives there better, or appears more beautiful, than in any- 
other part of the world." This would make the number 
of species of vegetables to amount to as many millions as 
there are of square leagues on the surface of the earth. 

Now, every one of these species of plants differs from 
another, in its size, structure, form, flowers, leaves, fruits, 
mode of propagation, color, medicinal virtues, nutritious 
qualities, internal vessels, and the odors it exhales. They 
are of all sizes, from the microscopic mushroom, invisible 
to the naked eye, to the sturdy oak and the cedar of Le- 
banon, and from the slender willow to the Banian tree, 
under whose shade 7000 persons may find ample room to 
repose. A thousand different shades of color distinguish 
the different species. Every one wears its peculiar livery, 
and is distinguished by its own native hues ; and many of 
their inherent beauties can be distinguished only by the 
help of the microscope. Some grow upright, others creep 
along in a serpentine form. Some flourish for ages, others 
wither and decay in a few months ; some spring up in 
moist, others in dry soils ; some turn towards the sun, 
others shrink and contract when we approach to touch 
them. Not only are the different species of plants and 
flowers distinguished from each other, by their different 
forms, but even the different individuals of the same spe- 
cies. In a bed of tulips or carnations, for example, there 
is scarcely a flower in which some difference may not be 
observed in its structure, size, or assemblage of colors ; 
nor can any two flowers be found in which the shape and 
shades are exactly similar. Of all the hundred thousand 
millions of plants, trees, herbs, and flowers, with which 
our gLobe is variegated, there are not, perhaps, two indi- 



88 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

viduals precisely alike, in every point of view in which they 
may be contemplated ; yea, there is not, perhaps, a single 
leaf in the forest, when minutely examined, that will not 
be found to differ, in certain aspects, from its fellows. 
Such is the wonderful and infinite diversity with which the 
Creator has adorned the vegetable kingdom. 

His wisdom is also evidently displayed in this vast pro- 
fusion of vegetable nature — in adapting each plant to the 
soil and situation in which it is destined to flourish — in 
furnishing it with those vessels by which it absorbs the air 
and moisture on which it feeds — and in adapting it to the 
nature and necessities of animated beings. As the earth 
teems with animated existence, and as the different tribes 
of animals depend chiefly on the productions of the vege- 
table kingdom for their subsistence, so there is an abun- 
dance and a variety of plants adapted to the peculiar con- 
stitutions of every individual species. This circumstance 
demonstrates, that there is a pre-contrived relation and fit- 
ness between the internal constitution of the animal, and 
the nature of the plants which afford it nourishment ; and 
shows us that the animal and the vegetable kingdoms are 
the workmanship of one and the same Almighty Being, and 
that, in his arrangements with regard to the one, he had in 
view the necessities of the other. 

When we direct our attention to the tribes of animated 
nature, we behold a scene no less variegated and astonish- 
ing. Above fifty thousand species of animals have been 
detected and described by Naturalists, besides several thou- 
sands of species which the naked eye cannot discern, and 
which people the invisible regions of the waters and the 
air. And, as the greater part of the globe has never yet 
been thoroughly explored, several hundreds, if not thou- 
sands, of species unknown to the scientific world, may 
exist in the depths of the ocean, and in the unexplored re- 
gions of the land. All these species differ from one an- 
other in color, size, and shape ; in the internal structure 
of their bodies, in the number of their sensitive organs, 
limbs, feet, joints, claws, wings, and fins ; in their dispo- 
sitions, faculties, movements, and modes of subsistence. 
They are of all sizes, from the mite and the gnat, up to 
the elephant and the whale, and from the mite downwards 



VARIETY OF NATURE. 89 

to those invisible animalculae, a hundred thousand of which 
would not equal a grain of sand. Some fly through the 
atmosphere, some glide through the waters, others traverse 
the solid land. Some walk on two, some on four, some 
on twenty, and some on a hundred feet. Some have eyes 
furnished with two, some with eight, some with a hundred, 
and some with eight thousand distinct transparent globes. 
for the purposes of vision.* 

Our astonishment at the variety which appears in the 
animal kingdom, is still farther increased, when we con- 
sider not only the diversities which are apparent in their 
external aspect, but also in their internal structure and or- 
ganization. When we reflect on the thousands of move- 
ments, adjustments, adaptations, and compensations, which 
are requisite in order to the construction of an animal sys- 



* The eyes of beetles, silk-worms, flies, and several other kinds 
of insects, are among the most curious and wonderful productions of 
the God of Nature. On the head of a fly are two large protuberan- 
ces, one on each side ; these constitute its organs of vision. The whole 
surface of these protuberances is covered with a multitude of small 
hemispheres, placed with the utmost regularity in rows, crossing each 
other in a kind of lattice work. These little hemispheres have each 
of them a minute transparent convex lens in the middle, each of 
which has a distinct branch of the optic nerve ministering to it ; so 
that the different lenses may be considered as so many distinct eyes. 
Mr. Leeuwenhoek counted 6236 in the two eyes of a silk-worm, 
when in its fly stnte ; 3180 in each eye of a beetle ; and D000 in the 
two eyes of a common fly. Mr. Hook reckoned 14,000 in the eyes of 
a drone fly ; and, in one of the eyes of a dragon fly, there have been 
reckoned 13,500 of these len-es, and, consequently, in both eyes. 
'27,000, every one of which is capable of forming a distinct image ol 
anj object, in the same manner as a common convex glass ; so that 
.here are 27.000 images formed on the retina of this little animal. Mr. 
Leeuwenhoek having prepared the eye of a fly for the purpose, 
placed it a little farther from his microscope than when he would ex- 
rnine an object, so as to leave a proper focal distance between it an I 
the lens of his microscope; and then looked through both, in th< 
manner of a telescope, at the steeple of a church, which was :299 feet 
high, and 7.">0 feet distant, and could plainly see through every little 
, the whole steeple inverted, though not larger than the point oi 
a fine kneedle : and then directing it to a neighboring house, saw 
through many of the<=e little hemispheres, not only the front of the 
house, but also the doors and windows, and could discern distinctly, 
whether the windows were open or shut. Such an exquisite piece oi 
Diviiu mechanism transcends all human comprehension. 

8* 



90 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tern, for enabling it to perform its intended functions ; — 
when we consider, that every species of animals has a 
system of organization peculiar to itself, consisting of 
bones, joints, blood vessels, and muscular motions, differing 
in a variety of respects from those of any other species, and 
exactly adapted to its various necessities and modes of ex- 
istence ; — and when we consider, still farther, the incom- 
prehensibly delicate contrivances, and exquisite borings, 
polishings, claspings, and adaptations, which enter into the 
organization of an animated being ten thousand times less 
than a mite ; and that the different species of these ani- 
mals are likewise all differently organized from one an- 
other, — we cannot but be struck with reverence and asto- 
nishment, at the Intelligence of that Incomprehensible Be- 
ing who arranged the organs of all the tribes of animated 
nature, who " breathed into them the breath of life," and 
who continually upholds them in all their movements ! 

Could we descend into the subterraneous apartments of 
the globe, and penetrate into those unknown recesses 
which lie towards its centre, we should, doubtless, behold 
a variegated scene of wonders, even in those dark and im- 
penetrable regions. But all the labor and industry of man 
have not hitherto enabled him to penetrate farther into the 
bowels of the earth than the six thousandth part of its di- 
ameter ; so that we must remain for ever ignorant of the 
immense caverns and masses of matter that may exist, and 
of the processes that maybe going on about its central re- 
gions. In those regions, however, near the surface, which 
lie within the sphere of human inspection, we perceive a 
variety analogous to thai which is displayed in the other 
departments of nature. Here we find substances of vari- 
ous kinds formed into strata, or layers, of different depths 
— earths, sand, gravel, marl, clay, sand-stone, free-stone, 
marble, lime-stone, fossils, coals, peat, and similar mate- 
rials. In these strata are found metals and minerals of va- 
rious descriptions — salt, nitrate of potash, ammonia, sul- 
phur, bitumen, platina, gold, silver, mercury, iron, lead, 
tin, copper, zinc, nickel, manganeze, cobalt, antimony, the 
diamond, rubies, sapphires, jaspers, emeralds, and a count- 
less variety of other substances, of incalculable benefit to 
mankind. Some of these substances are so essentially re- 



VARIETY OF NATURE. 91 

quisite for the comfort of man, that, without them, he 
would soon degenerate into the savage state, and be de- 
prived of all those arts which extend his knowledge, and 
which cheer and embellish the abodes of civilized life. 

If we turn our eyes upward to the regions of the atmos- 
phere, we may also behold a spectacle of variegated mag- 
nificence. Sometimes the sky is covered with sable clouds, 
or obscured with mists ; at other times it is tinged with a 
variety of hues, by the rays of the rising or the setting 
sun. Sometimes it presents a pure azure, at other times 
it is diversified with strata of dappled clouds. At one time 
we behold the rainbow rearing its majestic arch, adorned 
with all the colors of light ; at another, the Aurora Borea- 
lis illuminating the sky with its fantastic coruscations. At 
one time we behoid the fiery meteor sweeping through the 
air ; at another, we perceive the forked lightning darting 
from the clouds, and hear the thunders rolling through the 
sky. Sometimes the vault of heaven appears like a bound- 
less desert, and at other times adorned with an innumera- 
ble host of stars, and with the moon " walking in bright- 
ness. " In short, whether we direct our view to the vege- 
table or the animal tribes, to the atmosphere, the ocean, 
the mountains, the plains, or the subterranean recesses of 
the globe, we behold a scene of beauty, order, and variety. 
which astonishes and enraptures the contemplative mind, 
and constrains us to join in the devout exclamation of the 
Psalmist, " How manifold art thy works, O Lord ! In wis- 
dom hast thou made them all, the earth is full of thy 
riches ; so is the great and wide sea, wherein are things 
creeping, innumerable, both small and great beasts." 

This countless variety of objects which appears through- 
out every department of our sublunary system, not only 
displays the depths of Divine Wisdom, but also presents us 
with a faint idea of the infinity of the Creator, and of the 
'uamense multiplicity of ideas and conceptions which must 
have existed in the Eternal Mind, when the fabric of our 
globe, and its numerous tribes of inhabitants, were arranged 
and brought into existence. And, if every other world 
which floats in the immensity of space, be diversified with 
a similar variety of existences, altogether different from 
ours, (as we have reason to believe, from the variety we 



92 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

already perceive, and from the boundless plans and con- 
ceptions of the Creator,) the human mind is lost and con- 
founded, when it attempts to form an idea of those end- 
lessly-diversified plans, conceptions, and views, which 
must have existed during an eternity past, in the Divine 
Mind. When we would attempt to enter into the concep- 
tion of so vast and varied operations, we feel our own lit- 
tleness, and the narrow limits of our feeble powers, and 
can only exclaim, with the Apostle Paul, " the depth of 
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 
how unsearchable are his counsels, and his ways ' of crea- 
tion and providence' past finding out !" 

This characteristic of variety, which is stamped on aH 
the works of Omnipotence, is, doubtless, intended to gra- 
tify the principle of curiosity, and the love of novelty, which, 
are implanted in the human breast ; and thus to excite ra- 
tional beings to the study and investigation of the works 
of the Creator ; that therein they may behold the glory of 
the Divine character, and be stimulated to the exercise of 
love, admiration, and reverence. For, as the records of 
revelation, and the dispensations of Providence, display 
to us the various aspects of the moral character of Deity, 
so, the diversified phenomena, and the multiplicity of ob- 
jects and operations which the scenery of nature exhibits, 
present to us a specimen of the ideas, as it were, of the 
Eternal mind, in so far as they can be adumbrated by ma- 
terial objects, and exhibited to mortals, through the me- 
dium of corporeal organs. 

To convey an adequate conception of the number of 
these ideas, as exhibited on the globe in which we live, 
would baffle the arithmetician's skill, and set his numbers 
at defiance. We may, however, assist our conceptions a 
little, by confining our attention to one department of na- 
ture ; for example, the Animal Kingdom. The number 
of the different species of animals, taking into account those 
which are hitherto undiscovered, and those which are in- 
visible to the naked eye, cannot be estimated at less than 
300,000. In a human body there are reckoned about 44G 
muscles, in each of which, according to anatomists, there 
are at least 10 several intentions, or due qualifications to 
be observed — its proper figure, its just magnitude, the right 



VARIETY OF NATURE. 93 

disposition of its several ends, upper and lower, the posi- 
tion of the whole, the insertion of its proper nerves, veins, 
arteries, &c. so that in the muscular system alone, there 
are 4,460 several ends or aims to be attended to. — The 
bones are reckoned to be in number about 245, and the 
distinct scopes or intentions of each of these are above 40 ; 
in all, about 9,800 ; so that the system of bones and mus- 
cles alone, without taking any other part into considera- 
tion, amounts to about 14,000 different intentions or adap- 
tations. If now, we suppose, that all the species of ani- 
mals above stated, are differently constructed, and, taken 
one with another, contain, at an average, a system of bones 
and muscles as numerous as in the human body — the num- 
ber of species must be multiplied by the number of differ- 
ent aims or adaptations, and the product will amount to 
4,200,000,000. If we were next to attend to the many 
thousands of blood vessels in an animal body, and the nu- 
merous ligaments, membranes, humors, and fluids of vari- 
ous descriptions — the skin with its millions of pores, and 
every other part of an organical system, with the aims and 
intentions of each, we should have another sum of many 
hundreds of millions to be multiplied by the former product, 
in order to express the diversified ideas which enter into 
the construction of the animal world. And, if we still 
farther consider, that of the hundreds of millions of indivi 1 
duals belonging to each species, no two individuals exactly 
resemble each other — that all the myriads of vegetables 
with which the earth is covered, are distinguished from 
each other, by some one characteristic or another, and that 
every grain of sand contained in the mountains, and in the 
bed of the ocean, as shown by the microscope, discovers 
a different form and configuration from another — we are 
here presented with an image of the infinity of the concep- 
tions of Him in whose incomprehensible mind they all ex- 
isted, during countless ages, before the universe was 
formed. 

To overlook this amazing scene of Divine Intelligence, 
or to consider it as beneath our notice, as some have done 
— if it be not the characteristic of impiety, is, at least, the 
mark of a weak and undiscriminating mind. That man 
who disregards the visible displays of Infinite Wisdom, or 



94 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

■*■ 

who neglects to investigate them, when opportunity offers, 
acts as if he considered himself already possessed of a suf- 
ficient portion of intelligence, and stood in no need of such 
sensible assistances to direct his conceptions of the Crea- 
tor. Pride, and false conceptions of the nature and design 
of true religion, frequently lie at the foundation of all thai 
indifference and neglect with which the visible works ol 
God are treated, by those who make pretensions to a higt 
degree of spiritual attainments. The truly pious man wil 
trace, with wonder and delight, the footsteps of his Fathei 
and his God, wherever they appear in the variegated scene 
of creation around him, and will be filled with sorrow, ant 
contrition of heart, that, amidst his excursions and solitar} 
walks, he has so often disregarded " the works of the 
Lord, and the operation of his hands." 

In fine, the variety which appears on the face of nature 
not only enlarges our conceptions of Infinite Wisdom, bu 
is also the foundation of all our discriminations and judg- 
ments as rational beings, and is of the most essential utilitj 
in the affairs of human society. Such is the variety ol 
which the features of the human countenance are suscep- 
tible, that it is probable, that no two individuals, of all the 
millions of the race of Adam, that have existed since the 
beginning of time, would be found to resemble each other 
*4Ve know no two human beings presently existing, how- 
ever similar to each other, but may be distinguished eithe 
by their stature, their forms, or the features of their faces 
and on the ground of this dissimilarity, the various wheels 
of the machine of society move onward, without clashing 
or confusion. Had it been otherwise — had the faces o; 
men, and their organs of speech, been cast exactly in the 
same mould, as would have been the case, had the work 
heen framed according to the Epicurean system, by blinc 
chance directing a concourse of atoms, it might have beer 
as difficult to distinguish one human countenance fron 
another, as to distinguish the eggs laid by the same hen, 01 
the drops of water which trickle from the same orifice ; and 
consequently, society would have been thrown into a state 
of universal anarchy and confusion. Friends would not have 
been distinguished from enemies, villains from the good 
and honest,, fathers from sons, the culprit from the inno« 



h 



VARIETY OF NATURE. 95 

cent person, nor the branches of the same family from one 
another. And what a scene of perpetual confusion and 
disturbance would thus have been created ! Frauds, thefts, 
robberies, murders, assassinations, forgeries, and injustice 
of all kinds, might have been daily committed without the 
least possibility of detection. — Nay, were even the variety 
of tones in the human voice, peculiar to each person, to 
cease, and the hand-writing of all men to become perfectly 
uniform, a multitude of distressing deceptions and perplexi- 
ties would be produced in the domestic, civil, and commer- 
cial transactions of mankind. But the All-wise and Bene- 
ficent Creator has prevented, all such evils and inconve- 
niences, by the character of variety which he has impressed 
on the human species, and on all his works. By the pe- 
culiar features of his countenance, every man may be dis- 
tinguished in the light ; by the tones of his voice he maybe 
recognized in the dark, or when he is separated from his 
fellows by an impenetrable partition ; and his hand-writing 
can attest his existence and individuality, when continents 
and oceans interpose between him and his relations, and be 
a witness of his sentiments and purposes to future gene- 
rations. 



Thus, I have taken a very cursory view of some evi- 
dences of Divine Wisdom, which appear in the general 
constitution of the earth, the waters, and the atmosphere, 
and in the characteristic of variety, which is impressed on 
all the objects of the visible creation. When these and 
other admirable arrangements, in our sublunary system, 
are seriously contemplated, every rational and pious mind 
will be disposed to exclaim with the Psalmist — " There is 
none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works 
like unto thy works. " — " Thou art great, and dost won- 
drous things, thou art Cod alone." — " O that men would 
praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful 
works towards the children of men!" 

W hen we consider not only the utility, but the beauty 
and grandeur of the wise arrangements of nature, what 
reason have we to admire and adore the goodness of the 
great Author of our existence! Were all the diversities 



96 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

of shape and color, of mountains and vales, of rivers and 
lakes, of light and shade, which now embellish the various 
landscapes of the world, to disappear, and were one un- 
varied scene perpetually to present itself to the eye, how 
dull and wearisome, and uninteresting would the aspect of 
the universe appear to an intelligent mind ! Although the 
variegated beauties which adorn the surface of our globe, 
and the vault of heaven, are not essential to our existence, 
as sensitive beings, yet, were they completely withdrawn, 
and nothing presented to the eye, but a boundless expanse 
of barren sands, the mind would recoil upon itself, its ac- 
tivity would be destroyed, its powers would be confined, as 
it were, to a prison, and it would roam in vain amidst the 
surrounding waste, in search of enjoyment. Even the 
luxuries of a palace, were it possible to procure them 
amidst such a scene of desolation, would become stale 
and insipid, and would leave the rational soul, almost des- 
titute of ideas and of mental energy, to the tiresome round 
of a cheerless existence. But, in the actual state of the 
world we live in, there is no landscape in nature, from the 
Icebergs of Greenland to the verdant scenes of the Torrid 
Zone, in which objects, either of sublimity or of beauty, 
in boundless variety, are not presented to the view; in or- 
der to stimulate the mind to activity, to gratify its desire of 
novelty, and to elevate its conceptions of the Beneficent 
Creator. 

And, if the present constitution of our world displays 
so evident marks of beauty and benevolent design, now 
that it is inhabited by an assemblage of depraved intelli- 
gences, and its physical aspect deformed, in consequence 
of " the wickedness of man" — what transporting beauties 
and sublimities must it have presented, when it appeared 
fresh from the hand of its Almighty Maker, and when all 
things were pronounced by him to be very good? After 
a deluge of waters has swept many of its primeval beau- 
ties, and has broken and deranged even its subterraneous 
strata, this terrestrial world still presents to the eye a 
striking scene of beauty, order and beneficence. But 
we have the strongest reason to believe, that before sin 
had disfigured the aspect of this lower world, all was 
" beauty to the eye, and music to the ear ? — that " immor- 



PRIMEVAL STATE OF NATURE. 91. 

tality breathed in the winds, flowed in the rivers, " and ex- 
haled from every plant and flower. No storms disturbed 
the tranquillity of nature, nor created the least alarm in 
the breasts of its holy inhabitants. No earthquakes shook 
the ground, nor rent the foundations of nature. No vol- 
canoes vomited their rivers of lava, nor overwhelmed the 
plain with deluges of fire. — No barren deserts of heath 
and sand disfigured the rich landscape of the world — no 
tempests nor hurricanes tossed the ocean, nor scorching 
heats, nor piercing colds, nor pestilence, nor disease, an- 
noyed the human frame. — In the paradisiacal state of the 
world, we may reasonably suppose, that all the elements of 
nature contributed directly to the pleasure and enjoyment 
of man, and of the other tribes of animated nature ; and 
that they were not subjected, as they now are, to the ope- 
ration of those natural agents which so frequently spread 
destruction and ruin among the abodes of men. To sup- 
pose the contrary to have happened, would be inconsistent 
with the state of pure and happy intelligences, and with 
the benignity of the Creator ; and would imply, that God 
was either unwilling, or unable to remove such physical 
evils. But we cannot suppose it beyond the limits of In- 
finite Wisdom and Omnipotence, to create and arrange a 
world entirely free from those evils and inconveniences 
which now flow from the operation of certain physical 
agents ; without, at the same time, supposing that his 
power and intelligence are confined within certain bounds, 
beyond which they cannot pass. And therefore, if, in 
the existing constitution of things, the harmony of nature 
is occasionally disturbed, and its beauty defaced by earth- 
quakes, storms, and tempests — we must remember, that 
the inhabitants of the earth are now a depraved race of 
mortals, no longer adorned with primeval purity and in- 
nocence ; and that the physical economy of our globe 
has undergone a certain derangement, corresponding to 
the moral state of its present occupants. — But since this 
earth, even in its present state of degradation and de- 
rangement, presents to the view of every beholder so 
many objects of beauty and magnificence, and so nume- 
rous traces of Divine Beneficence — we may reasonably 
onclude. that scenes of Divine "Wisdom and Goodn- 

9 



98 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

far more glorious and transporting, must be displayed in 
those worlds where moral evil has never shed its malign 
influence, and where the inhabitants — superior to disease 
and death — bask for ever in the regions of immortality. 
And, therefore, however admirable the displays of Divine 
Wisdom may appear in the sublunary scene around us, 
they must be considered as inferior to those which are ex- 
hibited in many other provinces of Jehovah's empire, in so 
far as they are blended with those physical derangements 
which indicate his displeasure against the sins of men. 



Were we now to direct our attention to the mechanism 
of animated beings, and to consider the numberless con- 
trivances and adaptations in their organical structure and 
functions, a thousand instances of exquisite wisdom and de- 
sign, still more striking and admirable, w T ould crowd upon 
our view. For, although the general fabric of the world, 
and the immense variety of objects it contains, are evident 
proofs of a Wise and Intelligent Contriver, yet it is chiefly 
in the minute and delicate contrivances of organical struc- 
tures, their adaptation to the purposes of life, motion, and 
enjoyment, and their relation and correspondence to the 
surrounding elements, that the consummate skill of the 
Great Architect of nature is most strikingly perceived. 
But as it forms no part of my present plan to enter on so 
extensive a field of illustration, on which volumes might be 
written, I shall content myself with merely stating an ex- 
ample or two. My first example shall be taken from 

THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN EYE. 

The eye is one of the nicest pieces of mechanism which 
the human understanding can contemplate ; but as it re- 
quires a knowledge of its anatomical structure, and of the 
principles of optics, to enable us to appreciate its admi- 
rable functions, I shall confine myself to a few general 
d escriptions and remarks. 

The eye is nearly of a globular form. It consists chief- 
ly of three coats, and three humors. The first or outer 
coat, is termed Sclerotica ; it is every where white and 
opaque, and is joined at its anterior edge to another which 
has more convexity than any other part of the globe of the 



STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 99 

eye, and being exceedingly transparent, is called the Cor- 
nea. These two parts are perfectly different in their struc- 
ture, and are supposed, by some anatomists, to be as dis- 
tinct from each other as the glass of a watch is from the 
case into which it is fixed. — Next within this coat is that 
called the Choroides, on account of its being furnished 
with a great number of vessels. It serves, as it were, for 
a lining to the other, and is joined with that part of the 
eye termed the iris* The iris is an opaque membrane 
like the choroides, but of different colors in different eyes, 
as grey, black, or hazel. It is composed of two sets of 
muscular fibres, the one of a circular form, which con- 
tracts the hole in the middle, called the pupil, when the 
light is too strong for the eye ; and the other of radial 
fibres, tending every where from the circumference of the 
iris towards the middle of the pupil ; which fibres, by their 
contractions, dilate and enlarge the pupil, when the light 
is weak, in order to let in more of its rays. — The third 
coat is called the retina, upon which are painted the images 
of all visible objects, by the rays of light which flow from 
them. It spreads like net-work all over the inside of the 
choroides, and is nothing more than a fine expansion of 
the optic nerve ; by which nerve the impressions of visible 
objects are conveyed to the brain. 

The inside of the globe of the eye, within these tunics 
or coats, is filled with three humors, called the aqueous, 
the crystalline, and the vitreous. The aqueous humor 
lies at the fore-part of the eye, and occupies all the space 
between the crystalline and the prominent cornea. It has 
the same specific gravity and refractive power as water, 
and seems chiefly of use to prevent the crystalline from 
being easily bruised by rubbing, or by a blow — and per- 
haps it serves for the crystalline humor to move forward 
in, while we view near objects ; and backward, for re- 
moter objects ; without which, or some other mechanism, 
effecting the same purpose, we could not, according to 
the laws of optics, perceive objects distinctly, when placed 
at different distances. — Behind the aqueous lies the crys- 
talline -humor, which is shaped like a double convex glass, 
and is a little more convex on the back than on the fore- 
part. This humor is transparent like crystal, is nearly of 



100 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

the consistence of hard jelly, and converges the rays which 
pass through it, from visible objects, to its focus at the bot- 
tom, or back part of the eye.-— The vitreous humor lies 
behind the crystalline, and fills up the greatest part of the 
orb of the eye, giving it a globular shape. It is nearly of 
the consistence of the white of an egg, and very transpa- 
rent; its fore-partis concave, for the crystalline humor 
to lodge in, and its back part, being convex, the retina is 
spread over it. It serves as a medium to keep the crys- 
talline humor and the retina at a due distance. From 
what has been now stated, it is obvious that the images oi 
external objects are depicted on the retina, in an inverted 
position, in the same manner as the images formed by a 
common convex lens ; but how the mind, in this case, 
perceives objects erect, is a question, about which the 
learned have been divided in their opinions.* 

The ball of the eye, as now described, is situated in a 
bony cavity, called its orbit, composed by the junction of 7 
different bones, hollowed out at their edges. This cavity is, in 
all the vacant spaces, filled with a loose fat, which serves 
as a proper medium for the eye to rest in, and as a socket 
in which it may move. It is sheltered by the eye-brows, 
which are provided with hair, to prevent the descending 
sweat of the forehead from running down into it. As a 
still farther protection to this delicate organ, it is furnished 
with the eye-lid, which, like a curtain, is drawn over it 
with inconceivable swiftness, for its security, on the ap- 
proach of danger. It also serves to wipe it from super- 
fluous moisture, and to cover it during sleep. In the up- 
per part of its orbit, it is furnished with a gland, to supply 
it with water sufficient to wash off dust, and to keep its 
outer surface moist, without which the cornea would be 
less transparent, and the rays of light would be disturbed 
in their passage ; and the superfluous water is conveyed to 
the nose through a perforation in the bone. 



+ An idea of the relative positions of the coats and humors de- 
scribed above, may be obtained by a simple inspection of the Plate, 
Fig. 6.— Fig. 5, represents a front view of the human eye, as it ap- 
pears in its natural state, and exhibits the relative positions of the 
Cornea, Iris, and PupiL 



STRUCTURE OF THE EVE. 101 

For the purpose of enabling the eye to move in its 
socket, six muscles are provided. These are admirably 
contrived to move it in every direction, upwards or down- 
wards, to the right, or to the left, or in whatever direction 
the occasion may require ; and thus we are spared the 
trouble of turning our heads continually towards the ob- 
jects we wish to inspect. If we want to look upward, 
one of these muscles lifts up the orb of the eye ; if we 
would cast our eyes to the ground, another muscle pulls 
them down. A third muscle moves the globe outwards 
towards the temples, and a fourth draws it towards the 
nose. A fifth, which slides within a cartilaginous ring, 
like a cord over a pully, and is fastened to the globe of 
the eye in two points, makes it roll about at pleasure. A 
sixth lies under the eye, and is designed to temper and re- 
strain within proper bounds, the actions of the rest, to 
keep it steadily fixed on the object it beholds, and to pre- 
vent those frightful contortions which otherwise might take 
place. By these, and a multitude of other mechanical 
contrivances, all acting in harmonious combination, the 
eye, as a natural telescope and microscope, is made to 
advance, to recede, to move to the right, and to the left, 
and in every other direction ; and to view near and dis- 
tant objects, with equal distinctness ; so that a single eye, 
by the variety of positions it may assume, performs the 
office of a thousand.* 

The utility of these several movements, and the pain 
and inconvenience which would be suffered, were any of 
them wanting, can scarcely be conceived by anyone whose 

m have always remained in a sound state. We are so 
much accustomed to the regular exercise of our visual or- 
gans, that we seldom reflect on the numerous delicate 
springs which must be set in action, before the functions 
of vision can with ease be performed. Hut were any our 
of the muscular organs, now described, to fail in its func- 
tions, wo should soon experience so many inconveniences, 
as would throw a gloom on all the other comforts of life : 
and convince us, how much wo arc indebted, every mo 

* Flics and other in-p'-is. whose eyas arc immovoaMr', have seve- 
ral thousand of distinct globes in each eye. 8 



102 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

meat, to the provident care and goodness of our Benefi- 
cent Creator, for thousands of enjoyments which we sel- 
dom think of, and for which we are never sufficiently 
grateful. — " With much compassion, as well as astonish- 
ment, at the goodness of our loving Creator,' 1 says Dr. 
Nieuwentyt, " have I considered the sad state of a certain 
gentleman, who, as to the rest, was in pretty good health, 
but only wanted the use of those two little muscles that 
serve to lift up the eyelid, and so had almost lost the use 
of his sight — being forced, as long as this defect lasted, to 
shove up his eyelids every moment, with his own hands."* 
How admirable, then, is the formation of the eye, and 
how grateful ought we to feel at the consideration, that we 
are permitted to enjoy all the transporting pleasures of vi- 
sion, without the least perplexity or effort on our part ! If 
the loss of action in a single muscle produces so many dis* 
tressin^ sensations and efforts, what would be the conse- 
quence if all the muscles of the eye were wanting or deran- 
ged ? And, is it man that governs these nice and intricate 
movements ! Or is it the eye itself, as a self-directing ma- 
chine, that thus turns round, seasonably and significantly, 
towards every visible object? Man knows neither the organs 
of vision, nor the functions they ought to perform. The eye 
is only an unconscious machine, in the hands a Superior In- 
telligence, as a watch, or a steam engine, is in the hands of 
a mechanic. It is God alone who constantly performs its 
movements, according to certain laws, which he has sub- 
mitted to our inclinations and desires ; " for in him we live 
and wore."— We are desirous to see certain objects around 
us ; this is all the share we have in the operations of our 
eye s ; and without perplexing our understanding, without 
the least care or management, in regard to any of the func- 
tions, we can, in a few moments, take a survey of the beau- 
ties and sublimities of an extensive landscape, and of the 
glories of the vault of heaven. Thus, the Divine Being 
operates not only in this, but in a thousand different ways, 
in the various senses and contrivances which belong to our 
animal system ; and yet, thoughtless and ungrateful man 
often inquires, in the language of doubt and hesitation-. 



* Nieuweutyt's Religious Philosopher, vol, i. p. 23C. 



STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 103 

• Where is God my Maker V J — He is in us, and around us, 
directing every movement of our animal frame to act in 
harmony with the surrounding elements, and to minister to 
our enjoyment ; and it is only when his exquisite opera- 
tions are deranged by external violence, that we feel in- 
convenience or pain. 

Such are only a few general outlines of the structure of 
the eye ; for no notice has been taken of the numerous mi- 
nute veins, arteries, nerves, lymphatics, glands, and man} 
other particulars which are connected with this organ. 
But, all this delicate and complicated apparatus, in the 
structure of the eye, would have been of no use whatever 
for the purpose of vision, had not a distinct substance been 
created to act upon it, exactly adapted to its nature and 
functions. Id order that the eye might serve as the me- 
dium of our perceptions of visible objects, light was form- 
ed, and made to travel from its source at the rate of 195,- 
000 miles in a second of time. This prodigious velocity 
of light is, doubtless, essential to the nature of vision: 
since it actually exists, and since we find that it radiates 
with the same swiftness from the most distant visible star, 
as from the sun which enlightens our system. To abate 
the force of this amazing velocity, its particles have been 
formed almost infinitely small — a circumstance which 
alone prevents this delightful visitant from becoming the 
most tremendous and destructive element in nature. Dr, 
Nieuwentyt has computed, that, in one second of time, 
there How. 418,660,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,- 
000,000,000,000,000* particles of light out of a burning 
candle, which number contains at least 6,337,242,000,000 
times the number of grains of sand in the whole earth, sup- 
posing every cubic inch of the earth to contain a million of 
grains. It has been justly remarked by Mr. Ferguson and 
other authors, that " if the particles of light were so large 
that a million of them were equal in bulk to an ordinarv 
ijrain of sand, we durst no more open our eyes to the light, 
than suffer sand to be shot point blank against them, from 
the mouth of a cannon. " It may also be remarked, that the 
property which all bodies possess, of reflecting light, i$ 
essential to the purpose of vision, without which, the splcft- 



Appendix, Xo. V. 



104 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

did and variegated scene of nature would be changed into 
a dreadful gloom ; and were the rays of light of one uni- 
form colour, and not compounded of various hues, one 
object could not be distinguished from another, and the 
beautiful aspect of our globe would instantly disappear. 

Thus we see, that the eye is adapted to light, and light 
to the eye ; and in this admirable adaptation the wisdom 
of the Creator is strikingly displayed. For light has no 
effect upon the ear, or upon any other organ of sensation, 
so as to produce a perception of visible objects ; as, on 
the other hand, the undulations of the air have no effect 
upon the eye, so as to produce the sensation of sound. 
The eye did not produce the light, nor did the light form 
the eye ; they are perfectly distinct from each other, yet 
so nicely adapted in every particular, that had any one 
quality or circumstance been wanting in either, the func- 
tions of vision could not have been performed in the man- 
ner in which they now operate ; which strikingly demon- 
strates, that one and the same Intelligent Being, possess- 
ed of a wisdom beyond our comprehension, formed the 
curious structure of the eye, and endued the rays of light 
with those properties of color, motion, and minuteness, 
which are calculated, through the medium of this organ, to 
produce, in sentient beings, the ideas of visible objects. 
And, surely, he never intended that such exquisite skill 
and contrivance should be altogether overlooked by ra- 
tional beings, for whose pleasure and enjoyment all this 
benevolent care is exercised. 

3IANNER IN WHICH VISION IS PERFORMED. 

Let us now attend a little to the manner in which vision 
is performed, by the medium of light acting on the organs 
of sight. If we take a common convex glass — a reading- 
glass for example — and hold it at some distance from a 
candle, or a window sash, placing a piece of white paper 
behind the glass, at the distance of its focus, the image of 
the candle or sash will be painted on the paper, in an in- 
verted position. This experiment may be performed, with 
a better effect, by darkening a room, and placing the con- 
vex glass in a hole cut out of the window shutter, when the 
rays of light flowing from the objects without, and passing 



WONDERS OF VISION 



10, 



through the glass, will form a picture of the objects oppo- 
site the window, on the white paper, adorned with the most 
beautiful colors. In a manner similar to this, are the images 
of external objects depicted on the back part of the inner 
coat or membrane of the eye. The rays of light, proceed- 
ing in all directions, from surrounding objects, and falling 
on the eye, are transmitted through the pupil ; and being 
refracted by the different humours, (particularly by the 
crystalline humour, which acts the part of a convex lens,) 
they converge to a focus on the retina, where the images 
of visible objects are painted in an inverted position ; and. 
by means of the optic nerve, these images are conveyed to 
he mind. 
The following figure will perhaps more distinctly illus- 




trate this point. Let a, o, c, #, ?/, represent the globe of 
the eye, and A, B, C, an object at a certain distance from 
it Now, it is well known that every point of a visible 
object sends out rays of light i a all directions ; and therefore, 
a certain portion of the rays which flow from the object 
A B C, will fall upon the cornea, between x and ?/, and, 
passing through the aqueous humour, m n, and the crystal- 
line humour, o p, and the vitreous humour, D E, will be 
converged to a focus on the retina, and paint a distinct 
picture, a b c, of the object A B C,inan inverted position, 
The rays from the point A of the object, after being refrac- 
ted by the different humours, will be brought to a point at 
a; those from B, will be converged at b; and those from 
Oj at e; and, of course, the intermediate rays between A 
B, and B C, will be formed between a b, and b c, and the 
object will become visible by means of its imago or rep- 
rescntation being painted on the retina, in all the colors 
uid proportions which belong to it. If wc take a bullock V 



106 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

eye, and cut off the three coats from the back part, and 
put a piece of thin white paper over that part, and hold the 
eye towards the window, or any bright object, we shall see 
the image of the object depicted upon the paper, and in 
an inverted position, as stated above. 

In order that we may more distinctly perceive the won- 
ders of vision, and the numerous circumstances on which it 
depends, let us suppose ourselves placed on an eminence, 
which commands a view of a variegated and extensive 
landscape. Let us suppose ourselves stationed on Arthur's 
seat, or on the top of Salisbury Crags, in the vicinity of 
Edinburgh. Turning our face to the north-west, the city, 
with its castles, spires, and stately edifices, presents itself 
to our view. Beyond it, on the north and west, a beauti- 
ful country, adorned with villas, plantations, and fertile 
fields, stretches as far as the eye can reach, till the view is 
bounded by the castle of Sterling, at the distance of more 
than thirty miles. On the right hand, we behold the port 
of Leith, the shipping in the roads, the coast of Fife, the 
isles of Inchkeith and of May, and the Frith of Forth, gra- 
dually losing itself in the German ocean. If we suppose the 
length of this landscape to be forty miles, and its breadth 
twenty-five, it will, of course, comprehend an area of a 
thousand square miles. 

The first circumstance which strikes the mind, is the im- 
mense multitude of rays of reflected light which flow, in all 
directions, from the myriads of objects which compose the 
surrounding scene. In order to form a rude idea of this 
infinity of radiations. I fix my attention on a single object. 
I direct my eye to Nelson's monument, on the Calton hill. 
From the parapet at the top, a thousand different points 
send forth a thousand different cones of rays, which, enter- 
ing my eye, render the different parts of it distinctly visible* 
besides myriads of rays from the same points, which flow 
in every other direction through the open spaces of the at- 
mosphere which surround them. How many thousands of 
millions, then, of different radiations, must be issuing forth 
every moment from the whole mass of the monument! 
And if one object pours forth such a flood of rays, how 
immense must be the number of radiations which are issu- 
ing from all the objects which compose this extensive land 



WONDERS OF VISION. 107 

scape ! Myriads of rays, from myriads of objects, must be 
crossing each other in an infinity of directions, so that the 
mind is confounded at the apparent confusion which seems 
to exist in this immensity of radiations ; yet every ray 
passes forward in the crowd, in the most perfect order, 
and, without being blended or confused with any other ray, 
produces its specific effect on every eye that is open to re- 
ceive it. But this is not all : these millions of rays which 
flow from the minutest points of the surrounding scene, 
before they can produce the sensation of vision, and form 
a picture of the landscape on the retina, must be compress- 
ed into a space little more than one-eighth of an inch in 
diameter, before they can enter the pupil of the eye ; yet 
they all pass through this small aperture without the least 
confusion, and paint the images of their respective objects in 
exactly the same order in which these objects are arran- 
ged. Another circumstance demands attention. The 
rays which proceed from the objects before me, are not all 
directed to the spot where I stand, but are diffused through- 
out every point of the surrounding space, ready to produce 
the same effect, wherever sentient beings are present to re- 
ceive them. Were the whole inhabitants of Edinburgh 
placed on the sloping declivity of Arthur's seat and along 
the top of Salisbury Craigs, and were millions of other 
spectators suspended in the surrounding atmosphere, simi- 
lar sensations would be produced, and a scene similar to 
that which I now behold, would be depicted in every eye. 
Ymnlst the infinity of cones of" light, crossing each other in 
an infinity of directions, no confusion would ensue, but 
ry spectator, whose eves were in a sound state, would 
obtain a correct view of the scene before him ; and hence 
it happens, that, whenever I shift my position to the right 
hand or to the left, other streams of light enter my eve. 
and produce the same effect. 

Let me now attend to another circumstance, no less ad- 
mirable than the preceding, and that is, the distinct impres- 

m which I have of the shape, color, and motion, of 
the multiplicity of objects I am now contemplating, and 
the small space within which their images are depicted at 
the bottom of my eye. Could a painter, after a long series 
of ingenious efforts, delineate the extensive landscape now 



I OS THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

before me, on a piece of paper not exceeding the size of a 
silver sixpence, so that every object might be as distinctly 
seen, in its proper shape and color, as it now appears when 
I survey the scene around me, he would be incomparably 
superior to all the masters of his art that ever went before 
him. This effect, which far transcends the utmost efforts 
of human genius, is accomplished in a moment, in millions 
of instances, by the hand of Nature, or, in other words, by 
" the finger of God." All the objects I am now surveying, 
comprehending an extent of a thousand square miles, are 
accurately delineated in the bottom of my eye, on a space 
less than half an inch in diameter. How delicate, then, 
must be the strokes of that Divine pencil, which has formed 
such a picture ! I turn my eyes to the castle of Edinburgh, 
which appears one of the most conspicuous objects in my 
field of view. Supposing that portion of it which strikes 
my eye to be 500 feet long, and 90 in height, I find, by 
calculation, that it occupies only the six hundred thousandth 
part of the whole landscape, and, consequently, fills in my 
eye no more than the twelve hundred thousandth part of an 
inch* I next direct my eye towards the Frith of Forth, and 
perceive a steam boat sailing between Queensferry and 
Newhaven. I distinctly trace its motion for the space of 
40 minutes, at the end of which it reaches the chain pier 
at Newhaven, having passed over a space of five miles in 
length, which is but the eighth part or the lineal extent of 
the landscape in that direction ; and, consequently, occu- 
pies, in the picture formed en my retina, a lineal space of 
only one-sixteenth of an inch in extent. And, if the boat 
be reckoned about 88 feet in length, its image is only the 
three hundredth part of this extent ; and, of course, fills a 
space in the eye of only the four thousand eight hundredth 
part of a lineal inch. Yet, my perception of the motion of 
the vessel could be produced only by a corresponding mo- 
tion of its image in my eye; mat is, by the gradual motion 
of a point I? ^th of an inch in diameter, over a space one 
sixteenth of an inch in length. How inconceivably fine and 
accurate, then, must be the impression of those strokes 
which the rays of light, from visible objects, produce on the 
retina of the eye ! The mind is lost in wonder when it at 
tempts to trace so exquisite and admirable an effect. 



WONDERS OF VISION. 109 

I take a reflecting telescope, and, through it, view some 
of the distant parts of the landscape. My wonder it still 
increased, when I consider the new directions into which 
the rays of light are bent — the crossings and recrossings, 
the refractions and reflections, that take place between 
the mirrors and the lenses of the instrument, and the suc- 
cessive images that are formed — so that, instead of a scene 
of confusion, which, previous to experience, might have 
been expected from the numerous additional bendings and 
intersections of the rays — I now perceive hundreds of ob- 
jects, with the most perfect distinctness, which were before 
invisible. Rays of light from distant and minute objects, 
which a moment before made no sensible impression on 
my eye, being collected and variously modified by the te- 
lescope, now paint a vivid representation of their objects. 
in their true figures, colors, and positions. 

From a consideration of the innumerable modifications 
of the rays of light, and of the immense variety of effects 
they produce, in every region of the earth — I am led to 
investigate what proportion of the solar light fails upon our 
globe, in order to produce so diversified a scene of sublimity 
and beauty. Supposing the sun's rays to be chiefly confined, 
in their effects, within the limits of the planetary system, 
since they diverge in every direction, they must fill a cubi- 
cal space 3 600,000,000 miles in diameter; which, conse- 
quently, will contain about 24 ; 000, 000,000,000, 000,000,- 
000,000,000 of cubical miles, so that an eye. placed in any 
point of this vast space, would receive a distinct impression 
from the solar rays. The solidity of the earth is about. 
264,000,000,000 cubical miles, and, therefore, it receives 
only the -----__-.L________th part of the light which 

fills the sphere of the solar system. So that the light which 
cheers all the inhabitants of the world, and unveils such a va- 
riety of beautiful and magnificent objects, is nothing more 
than a single stream of celestial radiance out of ninety thou- 
sand billions of similar streams, which the great source ol 
light is every moment diffusing throughout surrounding 
Worlds, But the solar rays are not confined within the bound, 1 - 
of the planetary system; their influence extends, in every 
direction, as far as the nearest stars, filling a cubicai space aJ. 
least 40,000,000,000,000 miles in diameter, and whicV 

10 



110 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

contains 33,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,- 
000,000,000, or thirty-three thousand, five hundred sex- 
tillions of cubical miles. And, were we to institute com- 
parisons and calculations with respect to the possible 
variety of effects they might produce throughout this im- 
mense region, whole pages might be filled with figures 
cyphers, and computations. We might compute how many 
globes similar to the earth, or any of the larger planets, 
might be contained within this vast space, allowing several 
hundreds of cubical miles of empty space around each 
globe — how many myriads of refractions and reflections 
the rays of light would suffer, in regard to the peculiar ob- 
jects connected with every one of these globes — how 
many eyes of sentient beings might be affected by the di- 
versities of color, shape, and motion which would thus be 
produced — and what a variety of shades of light and color, 
and what a diversity of scenery would be produced, ac- 
cording to the distances of the respective globes from the 
central luminary. After what we have just now stated, 
however, we may rest satisfied, with joining in the pious 
exclamation of one who had just finished a devout survey 
of the structure of the human frame : " Marvellous are thy 
works, and that my soul knoweth right well. How pre- 
cious are thy thoughts unto me, O God!" (or as the words 
might be rendered,) " How precious are thy wonderful con- 
trivances concerning me, O God, how great is the sum of 
them ! If I should count them, they are more in number 
than the sand."* In what direction soever I turn mine 
eyes ; whatever portion of thy works I investigate, " I am 
still icith thee." Thine infinity and unsearchable wisdom 
are impressed on every object, so that I feel myself every 
moment encompassed by thine immensity, and am irresis- 
tibly led to wonder and adore. 

I shall now conclude these reflections on vision, with 
two or three additional remarks. It is worthy of notice, 
in the first place, that the eye has the power of adapting 
itself to objects placed at different distances. By means 
of some delicate pieces of mechanism, not hitherto satis- 
factorily explained, it can perceive, with distinctness, a 



* Psalm cxxxix, 14, 17, 18. 



WONDERS OF VISION. ill 

large object, at the distance of six miles, and the next mo- 
ment it can adjust itself to the distinct perception of an 
object at the distance of six inches ; so that it acts the part 
both of a telescope and a microscope, and can be instan- 
taneously adjusted to perform either as the one instrument, 
or as the other. This necessarily supposes a corresponding 
alteration in the state of the organ, everv time we lift our 
eye from a near, to look at a distant object. Either the 
cornea is somewhat flattened, or the chrvstalline humor is 
pushed backwards, or both these changes, in combination 
with others, may concur in causing the rays from distant 
objects to unite exactly on the retina, without which, dis- 
tinct vision cannot be produced. This contrivance, in 
whatever kind of mechanism it may consist, is one which 
art would vainly attempt to imitate. We can see objects 
that are near us, with a microscope, and those that are dis- 
tant, with a telescope : but we would in vain attempt to 
see distant objects with the former, or those that are only 
a few inches from us, with the latter, without a variety of 
changes being made in the apertures and positions of the 
glasses belonging to the respective instruments. In this 
respect, therefore, as well as in every other, the eye is an 
optical instrument, incomparably superior to any instru- 
ment or imitation that art can produce ; and, were it not 
for the peculiar property now described, it would be almost 
unfit for the purpose of vision, notwithstanding all the 
other delicate contrivances which enter into its construc- 
tion. If it were adjusted only for the distinct perception 
of distant objects, every object within the limits ot'an ordi- 
nary apartment would appear a mass of confusion ; and 
were it adjusted solely for viewing objects within the limits 
of a few feet or inches, the glories of the heavens, and the 
beautiful landscape of the earth, would be veiled from our 
Bight, as it" they were enveloped in a mist. 

Another circumstance worthy of attention, is, the power 
which the pupil of the eve possesses of contracting or en- 
larging the aperture or hob.' through which the light is ad- 
mitted. When the light is too Weak, the pupil is enlarged; 
when it is too strong, it is again contracted. According- 
ly, we find, that when we enter a darksome apartment, 
though, at first, nothing can be accurately distinguished, 



112 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

yet, in the course of a minute or two, when the pupil has 
had time to dilate, we can perceive most objects with con- 
siderable distinctness. And, on the other hand, when we 
pass from a dark room to an apartment lighted up with a 
number of lustres, we feel uneasy at the sudden glare, till 
the pupil has contracted itself, and excluded a portion of 
the superfluous rays. Were it not for this property, we 
should, for the most part, either be surrounded with a dis- 
agreeable gloom, or oppressed with an extensive splendor. 
It is for this reason that we are unable to look upon the 
sun without being dazzled, and are under the necessity of 
closing the eye-lids, or of turning away the head, when a 
strong light suddenly succeeds to darkness. 

Again, it may not be improper to observe, how wisely 
the Author of Nature has fixed the distance at which we 
ordinarily see near objects most distinctly. This distance 
is generally from five to eight inches from the eye. But, 
had the eye been formed for distinct vision, at the distance 
of only one inch, the object would have obstructed the light, 
and room would have been wanting for the performance of 
many necessary operations, which require the hand to in- 
tervene between the eye and the object. And had the 
limits of distinct vision for near objects been beyond two 
or three feet, sufficient light would not have been afforded 
for the inspection of minute objects, and we could neither 
have written a letter, nor have read a book, with the same 
convenience and ease we are now enabled to do. 

From the preceding descriptions and remarks, it will 
evidently appear, with what admirable skill the different 
parts of the organs of vision are constructed, and how 
nicely they are adapted to the several ends they were in- 
tended to subserve. Were any one of these parts wanting, 
or obstructed in its functions, vision would either be im- 
peded or rendered painful and distressing, or completely 
destroyed. If any of the humours of the eye were wanting 
— if they were less transparent — if they were of a different 
refractive power — or if they were of a greater or less con- 
vexity than they now are, however minute the alteration 
might be, vision would inevitably be obstructed, and every 
object would appear confused and indistinct. If the retina, 
on which the images of objects are painted, were flat, in* 



WONDERS OF VISION. 113 

stead of being concave, while objects in the middle of the 
view appeared distinct, every object towards the sides would 
appear dim and confused. If the cornea were as opaque 
as the sclerotica, to which it is joined, or if the retina were 
not connected with the optic nerve, no visible object could 
possibly be perceived. If one of the six muscles of the eye 
were wanting, or impede ' in its functions, we could not 
turn it to the right ; if a second were deficient, we could 
not turn it to the left ; if a third, we could not lift it up- 
wards ; if a fourth, we could not move it downwards ; and 
if it were deprived of the other two muscles, it would be 
apt to roll about in frightful contortions. If the eyes were 
placed in any other part of the body than the head — if they 
w r ere much more prominent than they now are — if they 
were not surrounded by the bony socket in which they are 
lodged — and if they were not frequently covered by the 
eye-lid — they would be exposed to a thousand accidents 
from which they are now protected. If they wanted mois- 
ture, and if they were not frequently wiped by the eye-lids, 
they would become less transparent, and more liable to be 
inflamed ; and if they were not sheltered by the eye-brows, 
the sweat and moisture of the forehead would frequently 
annoy them. Were the light which acts upon them devoid 
of color — were it not reflected from objects in every direc- 
tion — were its motion less swift, or its particles much lar- 
ger than they now are — in short, were any one circum- 
stance connected with the structure of this organ, and with 
the modification of the rays of light materially different trom 
its present arrangement, we should either be subjected to 
the hourly recurrence of a thousand painful sensations, or 
be altogether deprived of the entertainments of vision. 

How admirable an organ, then, is the eye, and how nice- 
ly adapted to unveil to our view the glories of the universe ! 
"Without the application of any skill or laborious efforts on 
our part, it turns in every direction, transports us to every 
surrounding object, depicts the nicest shades and colors on 
its delicate membranes, and 

M Takes in. at. once, the landscape of the world 

Af a mall inlet, winch a grain might close. 

And half creates the wornTrous world we see.' 1 — Young. 

-—How strikingly does it display, in every part of its struc- 

10* 



114 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

ture and adaptations, the marks of benevolent design, and 
of Infinite Intelligence ! However common it is to open our 
eyes, and to behold, in an instant, the beauties of an exten- 
sive landscape, and however little we may be accustomed 
to admire this wonderful effect, — there is not a doctrine in 
Religion, nor a fact recorded in Revelation, more mysteri- 
ous and incomprehensible. An excellent French w r riter has 
well observed — " The sight of a tree and of the sun, which 
God shows me, is as real and as immediate a Revelation as 
that which led Moses towards the burning bush. The only 
difference between both these actions of God on Moses 
and me, is, that the first is out of the common order and 
economy ; whereas the other is occasioned by the sequel 
and connection of those laws which God has established 
for the regulation both of man and nature." 

If, then, the eye of man (who is a depraved inhabitant 
of a world lying partly in ruins) is an organ so admirably fit- 
ted for extending our prospects of the visible creation — we 
may reasonably conclude, that organized beings, of supe- 
rior intelligence and moral purity, possess the sense of 
vision in a much greater degree of perfection than man, in 
his present state of degradation — and that they maybe en- 
abled, by their natural organs, to penetrate into regions of 
the universe far beyond what man, by the aid of artificial 
helps, will ever be able to descry. It may not be alto- 
gether extravagant, nor even beyond the reality of existing 
faets, to suppose, that there are intelligences in the regions 
of Jupiter or Saturn, whose visual organs are in so perfect 
a state, that they can descry the mountains of our moon, and 
the continents, islands, and oceans, which diversify our 
globe, and are able to delineate a map of its surface, to 
mark the period of its diurnal rotation, and even to distin- 
guish its cities, rivers, and volcanoes. It is quite evident, 
that it must be equally easy to Divine Wisdom and Omnipo- 
tence to form organs with powers of vision far surpassing 
what I have now supposed, as to form an organ in which 
the magnificent scene of heaven and earth is depicted, in 
a moment, within the compass of half an inch. There are 
animals whose range of vision is circumscribed within the 
limits of a few feet or inches ; and, had we never perceived 
objects through an organ in the same state of perfection as 



VISUAL ORGANS OF ANIMALS. 115 

that with which we are furnished, we could have formed as 
little conception of the sublimity and extent of our present 
range of sight, as we can now do of those powers of vision, 
which would enable us to descry the inhabitants of distant 
worlds. The invention of the telescope shows that the 
penetrating power of the eye may be indefinitely increased ; 
and, since the art of man can extend the limits of natural 
vision, it is easy to conceive, that, in the hand of Omnipo- 
tence, a slight modification of the human eye might enable 
it, with the utmost distinctness, to penetrate into regions 
to which the imagination can set no bounds. And, there- 
fore, it is not unreasonable to believe, that, in the future 
world, this will be one property, among others, of the re- 
surrection-body, that it will be furnished with organs of 
vision, far superior to the present, in order to qualify its 
intelligent inhabitant for taking an ample survey of the 
81 riches and glory" of the empire of God. 

I have dwelt somewhat particularly on the functions of 
the eye, in order to show, that it is only when we take a 
minute inspection of the operations of the Creator, that his 
Infinite Wisdom and Intelligence are most distinctly per- 
ceived. The greater part of Christians will readily admit, 
that the Wisdom of God is manifested in every object ; 
but few of them take the trouble to inquire, in what par- 
ticular contrivances and adaptations this wisdom is dis- 
played ; and, therefore, rest satisfied with vague and ge- 
neral views, which seldom produce any deep impression 
on the mind. lt The works of the Lord," which arc 
11 great" and admirable, " must be sought out by all those 
who have pleasure therein ;" and the more minutely they 
are inspected, the more exquisite and admirable do all his 
arrangements appear. 

Were we to enter into an investigation of the visual or- 
gans of the lower animals, and to consider the numerous 
varieties which occur in their structure, position and move- 
ments, and how nicely the peculiar organization of the eye 
is adapted to the general structure of the animal, and to its 
various necessities and modes of existence — the operation 
of the same inscrutable Wisdom and Intelligence would 
meet our eye at every step. Birds, for example, which 
procure their food by their beak, have the power of seeing 



116 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

distinctly at a very small distance ; and, as their rapid mo- 
tion through the air renders it necessary that they should 
descry objects at a considerable distance, they have two 
peculiar mechanical contrivances, connected with their or- 
gans of vision, for producing both these effects. One of 
these contrivances consists in a flexible rim, formed of bone* 
which surrounds the broadest part of the eye, and, by oc- 
casionally pressing upon its orb, shortens its focal distance, 
and thus enables it to inspect very near objects. The other 
consists of a peculiar muscle, which draws back, as occa- 
sion requires, the crystalline humour, by which means it 
can take a distinct view of a distant landscape, and can 
pass from the sight of a very near, to the sight of a distant 
object, with rapidity and ease. In fishes, which live in a 
medium of a different refractive power from that of air, the 
crystalline humour has a greater degree of convexity, and 
more nearly approaches to a globular form than that of 
land animals — which conformation is essentially requisite 
to distinctness of vision in the watery element. A fish, of 
course, cannot see distinctly in air, nor a quadruped under 
water ; and every person who has dived into the water with 
his eyes open, knows, that, though he may perceive the 
general forms and colors of objects, his vision is obscure 
and indistinct. — In hares and rabbits the eyes are very con- 
vex and prominent, so that they can see nearly quite round 
them ; whereas, in dogs, which pursue these animals, the 
visual organs are placed more in the front of the head, to 
look rather before, than behind them. — Some animals, as 
cats and owls, which pursue their prey in the dark, have 
the pupil of their eye so formed as to be capable of great 
expansion- so that a few rays of light may make a lively im- 
pression on their retina ; while the eagle, which is able to 
look directly at the sun, has its pupil capable of being con- 
tracted almost to a point.-— Insects, such as the beetle, the 
fly, and the butterfly, whose eyes are incapable of motion, 
have several thousands of small transparent globes set in a 
convex hemisphere, every one of which is capable of form- 
ing an image of an object ; so that they are enabled to 
view the objects around them without moving their heads. 
— But, it would be beyond the limits of my plan to prose- 
cute this subject any farther: enough has already been sta- 



MECHANISM OF THE BONES. 117 

led, to show, that the eyes of men and of other animals are 
master- pieces of art, which far transcend the human un- 
derstanding ; and that they demonstrate the consummate 
wisdom of Him who planned and constructed the organi- 
cal functions of the various tribes of animated existence. 

I shall now conclude this branch of my subject, by pre- 
senting an instance or two of the mechanism of the bones. 
and the movements it is fitted to produce. 

The bones of the human frame are articulated, or con- 
nected together in different ways, but most frequently in 
the following manner. — Eithe r , 1. a bone with a round 
head is articulated with a cavity, and plays in it as a ball in 
a socket ; or, 2. they are connected together by a hinge-like 
articulation, which enables a bone to move up or down, 
backwards or forwards, like a door upon its hinges. An 
idea of these two motions, and the purposes they serve, may- 
be obtained, by considering the construction of the pedestal 
of a telescope, and the joints on which it moves. One of 
the joints is of tne nature of a hinge, by which a vertical 
motion, or a motion upwards and downwards is produced. 
A horizontal motion, or a motion towards the right hand 
or the left, is produced by a pivot moving in a socket ; so 
that, by these two motions, the telescope can be made to 
point in any direction. Such is the nature of the articula- 
tions of the bones, and the movements they produce ; and 
wherever one or tho other of these motions, or both of them 
combined, are requisite for the comfort and convenience of 
the individual, such a power of motion is uniformly found 
to exist. If the movement of a joint in every direction 
would, in any particular case, be found inconvenient, the 
hinge-like articulation is fixed upon; but if a motion, in 
every direction, is required for the convenient use of par- 
ticular members, and for the variety of evolutions which a 
sentient being may have occasion to make, the ball and 
socket articulation is combined with the former. 

For example, let any person, for a moment, consider the 
joints of his fingers, and compare them with the joint at his 
"v/.s7, where the hand is connected with the fore arm. If he 
hold the back of his hands upwards, he will find that he can 
move his fingers upwards or downwards ; but he cannot turn 
turn them to the right hand, or to the left, so as make them 



US THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

describe a circular motion. He will also find thathis tm-istk 
capable of a similar movement, so that the hand may be bent 
in a vertical dtrection. But, in addition to this motion, it is 
also capable of being turned in a horizontal direction, or 
from one side to another In the former case, we have an 
example of the hmge articulation ; in the latter, it is com. 
brned with an articulation which produces nearly the same 
effect as a pivot moving in a socket. Now, had the joints 
of the fingers been capable of the same motions as the 
wrist, the hand would have lost its firmness, and been inca- 
pableof performing a variety of mechanical operations 
which require objects to be held with a steady gmsp. On 
the other hand, if the joint of the wrist had been formed in 
the same manner as the joints of the fingers, and confined to 
a vertical motion, the hand would have been incapable of 
one out of ahundred varied movements, which it can now 

wTJlf t T^u 6aSe - In this Case > we could not 
' * i, T a u° le W,th a S imlet > cut down corn with a 
sickle, digged the earth with a spade, sewed clothes with a 
needle, tossed up a ball, or turned up the palm of the hand 

orS ,° f V^ T fUl PUrP u° SeS f ° r Whlch ** m °tion was 
orda ned. In short, without the rotary motion of the 
wrist, thegreater part of the operations connected with gar- 
dening, agriculture, cookery, washing, spinning, weavL, 

S3? ca T, ng ' e T avin§ ' building ' and otht?; mecha ^ : 

cal arts could not be performed ; and such of them as 
could be effected, would be accomplished only with the 
greates inconvenience and labor. Any person may con! 
vmce himself of this, by holding his hand in a horizontal 

and then" b v T™^ ^ WriSt " J0int ** turni "g -und 
and then by trying what operations he can easily per 

form without the rotary motion ; and he will soon pe - 

oTzZj^T^V™ the nUmer0US movement's of 
our animal frames have been contrived by the great Author 
of our existence. In each hand there are 27 bones, all ' 

fol F 6 eS T tlal t0 ^ diff6rent " 10tions we -ish 'to pe™ 
orm Every finger is composed of three bones, connected 

2*a5»* artlCuiat,ons ' musc 'os, and ligaments .Tin- 
stead of three, each finger were composed of only one bone 
it would be quite impossible for us to grasp a single object 
The same admirable contrivance may bepercefved in the 






3IECHANIS1I OF THE BONES. 119 

movements of which the head is susceptible. It was re- 
quisite, in order to our convenience and comfort, that wc 
should be enabled to move our head backwards or for- 
wards — to look up towards the heavens, or downwards to 
the ground. It was also expedient, that it should have a 
power of turning to the right, or to the left, so as to take 
in a considerable portion of a circle, without being under 
the necessity of turning round the whole body. Accordingly 
we find, that both these motions are provided for, in the 
manner in which the head is connected with the vertebrce. 
The head rests upon the uppermost of these bones, to which 
it is connected by a hinge joint, similar to those in the 
fingers, which allows it to move backward and forward ; 
and, by means of a round, longish process, or projection, 
which moves in a socket, it is enabled to move horizontally, 
as upon an axis. Had the first motion been wanting, we 
could not have looked up to the zenith, without lying flat 
on our back ; nor could we have looked to the ground, 
without placing our bodies in a prone position ; and, in 
such a case, we could never have seen our own feet, un- 
less when they were bent considerably forward. Had the 
second motion been wanting, we could have looked to no- 
thing, except the objects directly before us, without the 
trouble of turning round the whole body, either to the 
right, or to the left. Hut, in the construction of our cor- 
poreal system, every thing is so arranged and adapted to 
another, as at once to contribute to case, and facility of 
motion, in all the varied operations and movements we have 
occasion to perform ; which circumstance forcibly demon- 
strates both the benevolent intentions, and the admirable 
wisdom of Him u whose hands have made and fashioned 
us," and who ' breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. " 
The above are only two or three out of a hundred of 
similar instances, which might be produced to show the 
benevolent care which has been exercised in arranging and 
articulating the system of bones, of which the prop-work 
of the human frame is composed. Were we to enter into 
an investigation of the actions and uses of the various mus- 
cles, the wonderful system of veins and arteries, the action 
of the heart, stomach, and bowels ; the process of respira- 
tion, and insensible perspiration, and the system of nerves. 



120 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

elands, lymphatics, and lacteals — a thousand instances of 
Divine wisdom and beneficence would crowd upon our 
view, which could not fail to excite the pious and contem- 
plative mind to join in the devotions of the " sweet singer 
of Israel," " I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and won- 
derfully made ; marvellous are thy works, and that my soul 
knoweth right well." — But as I intended to present only a 
few specimens of the wisdom of God, as displayed in the 
construction of the material world, I shall conclude this 
department of my subject with a single reflection.* 

How foolish and ungrateful is it for rational beings to 
overlook the wise and benevolent arrangements of the Crea- 
tor, in the material universe ! How many thousands of hu- 
man beings pass their existence without once reflecting on 
the numerous evidences of Divine Wisdom and Benefi- 
cence, which appear around them, or feeling the least spark 
of gratitude for their preservation and comforts, to that 
Beinsr " in whose hand their breath is, and whose are all 
their ways !" Yea, how many are there who consider 
themselves as standing high in the ranks of the Christian 
profession, who affect to look down, with a certain degree 
of contempt, on the study of the material works of God, 
as if it were too gross a subject for their spiritual attain- 
ments ! They profess to trace the wisdom of God in the 
Scriptures, and to feel gratitude for his pardoning mercy ; 
but they seldom feel that gratitude which they ought to do 
for those admirable arrangements in their own bodies, and 
the elements around them, by which their lives are preser- 
ved, and their happiness promoted ; and, even seem to in- 
sinuate that they have little or nothing to do with the con- 
trivances of the God of Nature. They leave it to the ge- 
nius of infidel philosophers to trace the articulations of the 
bones, the branchings of the veins and arteries, the pro- 
perties of light, and the composition of the atmosphere, 



* Those who wish to prosecute this subject, particularly that part 
of it which relates to the contrivances of Divine "Wisdom, which 
appear in the animal system, will find ample gratification in Nieu- 
wentyt's "Religious Philosopher," Vol. I. and Dr. Paley's "Natural 
Theology." A variety of useful remarks on this subject will also be 
found in Ray's " Wisdom of God in the Creation," Derbam's "Phy- 
dco-Theology," and Bonnet's " Contemplation of Nature." 



MORAL REFLECTIONS. 121 

while they profess to feast their minds on more sublime 
and spiritual entertainments. But, surely, such astonish- 
ing displays of the wisdom and benignity of the Most 
High, as creation exhibits, were never intended to be treat- 
ed by his intelligent offspring with apathy or indifference ; 
and to do so, must indicate a certain degree of base in- 
gratitude towards Him whose incessant energy sustains the 
whole assemblage of sentient and intelligent beings, and 
who displays himself, in their construction and preserva- 
tion, to be " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in work- 
ing." Shall we imagine, that, because God stands in the 
gracious relation of our Redeemer, he has ceased to stand 
in the relation of our Creator and Preserver? Or shall 
we consider those subjects as unworthy of our attention, 
which are the theme of the praises of the heavenly host ? 
— Rev. iv. 11. Can we suppose that the Almighty dis- 
played his infinite wisdom in the curious organization of 
the human eye, that man — the only being in this world 
who is endowed with faculties capable of appreciating its 
structure, and for whose use and entertainment it was in- 
tended — should overlook such a wonderful piece of Divine 
workmanship, and feel no gratitude for the bestowment of 
so admirable a gift? Shall we extol the ingenuity display- 
ed in a clock or a watch, in a chess-player, or a steam en- 
gine, and shall we feel no sentiment of admiration at the 
view of millions of instances of Divine mechanism, which 
infinitely transcend the powers of the human understand- 
ing ? To act in this manner, as too many are disposed to 
do, is unworthy of man, both as a Christian and as an in- 
telligent a^cnt. Such was not the conduct of the inspired 
writers ; their spirituality of views did not lead them to 
neglect the contemplation of amj of the works of God. 
14 I will meditate on all thy works," says the Psalmist, 
; ' and talk of all thy doings ; I will utter abundantly the 
memory of thy great goodness, and speak of all thy won- 
drous works." Accordingly, we find, that the wonders o\ 
the human frame, the economy of the animal and the ve- 
getable tribes, the scenery of the " dry land," and of tin 
;< mighty -deep," and the glories of the heavens, wero the 
frequent subjects of their devout contemplation. They con 
-<idered them in relation to the unceasing agencv of God 

11 



122 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

by whom they were formed and arranged, and as declaring 
his Wisdom, Goodness, and Omnipotence ; and, with this 
view, ought all the scenes of the visible creation to be in- 
vestigated by his intelligent creatures. 

We have reason to believe, that it is owing, in part, to 
want of attention to the Divine wisdom and beneficence, 
as exhibited in the construction of the visible world, that 
many professed Christians entertain so vague and confu- 
sed ideas respecting the wisdom and goodness of Deity, as 
displayed in the economy of Redemption. The terms, 
Wisdom, Goodness, and Beneficence, in their mouths, be- 
come words almost without meaning, to which no precise 
or definite ideas are attached ; because they have never 
considered the instances and the evidences of these attri- 
butes, as displayed in the material creation. And, if our 
minds have not been impressed with a sense of the wisdom 
and beneficence of God, in those objects which are pre- 
sented to the external senses, we cannot be supposed to 
have luminous and distinct ideas of those spiritual objects 
and arrangements which are removed beyond the sphere 
of our corporeal organs. For all our ideas, in relation to 
Religion and its objects, are primarily derived from the in- 
timations we receive of external objects, through the me- 
dium of our senses ; and, consequently, the more clearly 
we perceive the agency of God, in his visible operations, 
the more shall we be qualified to perceive the wisdom and 
harmony of his dispensations, as recorded in the volume 
of inspiration. 

W r e live in a world, all the arrangements of which are 
the effects of infinite wisdom. We are surrounded with 
wonders on every hand ; and, therefore, we cease to ad- 
mire, or to fix our attention on any one of the w r onders 
daily performed by God. We have never been accustom- 
ed to contemplate, or to inhabit a world where benevolence 
and wisdom are not displayed ; and, therefore, we are apt 
to imagine, that the circumstances of our terrestrial exis- 
tence could not have been much otherwise than they ac- 
tually are. We behold the sun in the morning, ascending 
from the east — a thousand shining globes are seen in the 
canopy of the sky, when he has disappeared in the west. 
W T e open our eye-lids, and the myriads of objects which 



MORAL REFLECTIONS. 123 

compose an extensive landscape, are, in a moment, paint- 
ed on our retina, — we wish to move our bodies, and in an 
instant, the joints and muscles of our hands and feet per- 
form their several functions. We spread out our wet clothes 
to dry, and in a few hours the moisture is evaporated. 
We behold the fields drenched with rain, and in a few days 
it disappears, and is dispersed through the surrounding 
atmosphere, to be again embodied into clouds. These 
are all common operations, and, therefore, thoughtless and 
ungrateful man seldom considers the obligations he is un- 
der to the Author of his existence, for the numerous en- 
joyments which flow from these wise arrangements. But, 
were the globe we inhabit, and all its appendages, to re- 
main in their present state — and were only the principle of 
evaporation, and the refractive and reflective properties of 
the air to be destroyed — we should soon feel, by the uni- 
versal gloom which would ensue, and by a thousand other 
inconveniences we should suffer, what a miserable world 
was allotted for our abode. We should most sensibly 
perceive the wisdom and goodness we had formerly over- 
looked, and would most ardently implore the restoration of 
those arrangements for which we were never sufficiently 
grateful. And why should we not now — while we enjoy 
€o many comforts flowing from the plans of Infinite Wis- 
dom — have our attention directed to the benevolent con- 
trivances within us, and around us, in order that grateful 
emotions may be hourly arising in our hearts, to the Fa- 
ther of our spirits ? For the essence of true religion con- 
sists chiefly in gratitude to the God of our life, and the Au- 
thor of our salvation ; and every pleasing sensation we feel 
from the harmonies and the beauties of nature, ought to 
inspire us with this sacred emotion. " Hearken unto this, 
O man ! stand still, and consider the wonderful works of 
God. Contemplate the balancings of the clouds, the won- 
drous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge." " He 
hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the 
world by his wisdom. When he uttereth his voice, there 
is a noise of waters in the heavens ; he causeth the vapors 
to ascend from the ends of the earth, and bringeth the 
winds out of his treasures. " While it is shameful for man 
to be inattentive to the wonders which surround him. 



124 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 

what can be more pleasing and congenial to a rational, and 
devout mind, than contemplations on the works of the 
Most High ? " What can be more gratifying," says Sturm. 
" than to contemplate, in the heavens, in the earth, in the 
water, in the night and day, and, indeed, throughout all 
nature, the proofs which they afford of the wisdom, the 
purity, and the goodness of our great Creator and Preser- 
ver ! What can be more delightful than to recognize, in 
the whole creation, in all the natural world, in every thing 
we see, traces of the ever-working providence, and tender 
mercy of the great Father of all !" 



Section IV. 

On the Goodness, or Benevolence, of the Deity, 

The Benevolence of God is that perfection of his na- 
ture, by which he communicates happiness to the various? 
ranks of sensitive and intelligent existence. 

The system of Nature, in all its parts, exhibits an un~ 
bounded display of this attribute of the Divine Mind, both 
in relation to man, and in relation to the subordinate tribes 
of animated existence. In relation to JWan — the magnifi- 
cence and glory of the heavens — the variegated coloring 
which is spread over the scene of nature — the beautiful 
flowers, shrubs, and trees, with which the earth is adorned, 
which not only delight the eye, but perfume the air with 
their delicious odors — the various kinds of agreeable 
sounds that charm the ear — the music of the feathered 
songsters, which fill the groves with their melody — the 
thousands of pleasant images which delight the eye, in the 
natural embellishments of creation — the agreeable feelings 
produced by the contact of almost every thing we have oc- 
casion to touch — the pleasure attached to eating, drink- 
ing, muscular motion, and activity — the luxuriant profu- 
sion, and rich variety of aliments which the earth affords — 
and the interchanges of thought and affection — all pro- 
claim the Benevolence of our Almighty Maker, and show, 
that the communication of happiness is one grand object 



BENEVOLENCE OF THE DEITY. 125 

of all his arrangements. For, these circumstances are not 
essentially requisite to our existence. We might have 
lived, and breathed, and walked, though every thing we 
touched had produced pain ; though every thing we ate 
and drank had been bitter ; though every movement of 
our hands and feet had been accompanied with uneasiness 
and fatigue ; though every sound had been as harsh as the 
saw of the carpenter ; though no birds had warbled in the 
groves ; though no flowers had decked the fields, or filled 
the air with their perfumes ; though one unvaried scene of 
dull uniformity had prevailed, and beauty and sublimity 
had been swept from the face of nature ; though the earth 
had been covered with a mantle of black, and no radiant 
orbs had appeared in our nocturnal sky. But what a 
miserable world should we then have inhabited, compared 
with that which we now possess ! Life would have passed 
away without enjoyment ; and pain would have overba- 
lanced the pleasure of existence. Whereas, in the existing 
constitution of things, all the objects around us, and every 
sense of which we are possessed, when preserved in its 
natural vigor, have a direct tendency to produce pleasing 
sensations, and to contribute to our enjoyment ; and it is 
chiefly when we indulge in foolish and depraved passions, 
and commit immoral actions, that the benevolent intentions 
of the Deity are frustrated, and pain and misery produced. 
If we consider, farther, that the inexhaustible bounty of 
the Creator, and the numerous pleasures we enjoy, arc- 
bestowed upon a guilty race of men, the benevolence of 
the Deity will appear in a still more striking point of view. 
Man has dared to rebel against his Maker ; he is a depraved 
and ungrateful creature. The great majority of our race 
have banished God from their thoughts, trampled upon his 
laws, neglected to contemplate his works, refused to pay 
him that tribute of reverence and adoration which his per- 
fections demand, have been ungrateful for his favors, have 
blasphemed his name, and have transferred to " four-footed 
beasts, and creeping things," that homage which is due to 
him alone. It has been the chief part of their employ- 
ment, in all ages, to counteract the effects of his Benefi- 
cence, by inflicting injustice, oppression, and torture, upon 
each other ; by maiming the human frame, burning cities 

11* 



126 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and villages, turning fruitful fields into a wilderness, and, 
by every other act of violence, carrying death atid destruc- 
tion through the world. And, if water, air, and the light 
of heaven, had been placed within the limits of their con- 
trol, it is more than probable that whole nations would 
have been occasionally deprived of these elements, so 
essential to human existence. Yet, notwithstanding the 
prevalence of such depraved dispositions, the streams of 
Divine benevolence towards our apostate race have never 
yet been interrupted. The earth has never stopped in its 
career, and thrown nature into a scene of confusion ; the 
light of heaven has never ceased to illume the world ; the 
springs of water have never been dried up, nor has the 
fertile soil ceased to enrich the plains with golden harvests. 
God " hath not left himself without a witness" to his bene- 
ficence, in any age, in that he hath unceasingly bestowed 
on the inhabitants of the world, " ram from heaven, and 
fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness." 
This is one of the characters of Deity which forms the 
most perfect contrast to the selfish and revengeful dispo- 
sitions of man, whichas far transcends human benevolence, 
as the heavens in extent surpass the earth — a character 
calculated to excite our highest love and admiration, and 
which we are called upon, in the Sacred Oracles, to imi- 
tate and revere. " Be ye merciful, as your Father who is in 
heaven is merciful : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil 
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the 
unjust." " O that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." 
From such considerations, we learn, even from the sys- 
tem of nature, that mercy is an attribute of the Deity ; for, 
if mercy consists in bestowing favors on those who are 
unworthy, or who merit punishment, the greatest sinners in 
all ages have shared in it, and every individual of the hu- 
man race, now existing, enjoys a certain portion of those 
comforts which flow from the benevolent arrangements 
which the Creator has established. " He maketh the sun 
to rise on the evil and on the good." Though the nations 
in ancient times, as well as at present, " walked in their 
own ways," indulging in impiety, falsehood, lewdness, war, 
devastations, revenge, abominable idolatries, and every 



BENEVOLENCE OF THE DEITY. 127 

other violation of his law, he still supported the functions 
of their animal frames, and caused the influences of the 
sun, the rains, and the dews, to descend upon their fields, 
that they might be refreshed with his bounty, and filled 
" with food and gladness." If mercy were not an essen- 
tial attribute of the Deity, he would have cut them down 
in the midst of their first transgressions, shattered to pieces 
the globe on which they dwelt, and buried them in eternal 
oblivion. But whether Divine mercy will extend to the 
final forgiveness of sin, and the communication of eternal 
happiness to such beings, can be learned only trom the dis- 
coveries of Revelation. 

In relation to the inferior animals — the immense multi- 
tude of living creatures with which the earth is replenished. 
is a striking evidence of the vast profusion of Divine Bene- 
ficence. More than a hundred thousand species of anima- 
ted beings are dispersed through the different regions of the 
air, the water, and the earth, besides myriads which are in- 
visible to the unassisted eye. To estimate the number of 
individuals belonging to any one species is beyond the 
power of man. What countless myriads of herrings, for 
example, are contained in a single shoal, which is frequent- 
ly more than six miles long, and three miles broad ! To 
estimate the number of individuals in all the different spe- 
cies would, therefore, be as impossible as to count the 
grains of sand in the Arabian deserts. There is not a 
single spot, in any region of the globe, but what teems with 
animated beings. Yet, all this vast assemblage of sensi- 
tive existence is amply provided for by the bountiful Crea- 
tor. " These all wait upon him, and he giveth them their 
meat in due season." They enjoy not only life, but also a 
happy existence. The sportive motions, and gesticulations 
of all the animal tribes — the birds skimming through the 
air, warbling in the groves, and perching on the trees — the 
beasts of the field, bounding in the forests, and through 
the lawns — the fishes sporting in the waters — the reptiles 
wriggling in the dust, and the winged insects, by a thou- 
sand wanton mazes — all declare that they are rejoicing in 
their existence, and in the exercise of those powers with 
which the Creator has furnished them. So that wherever 
we turn our eyes, we evidently perceive, that " the earth 



128 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

is full of the goodness of the Lord," and that " his tender 
mercies are over all his works." 

This subject is boundless — but it would be inconsistent 
with the limited plan of this work, to enter into any par- 
ticular details. And it is the less necessary, when we con- 
sider, that every instance of Divine Wisdom is, at the 
same time, an instance of benevolence ; for it is the ulti- 
mate object of all the wise contrivances in the system of 
Nature, that happiness may be communicated to the va- 
rious ranks of sensitive and intelligent existence. Good- 
ness chooses the end, and wisdom selects the most proper 
means for its accomplishment ; so that these two attributes 
must always be considered in simultaneous operation. 
And, therefore, the instances I have already specified, of 
the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Creator, may also be 
considered, as exemplifications of Divine Benevolence.— I 
shall therefore conclude this topic with the following ex- 
tract from Dr. Paley :— 

" Contrivance proves design ; and the prominent ten- 
dency of the contrivance, indicates the disposition of the 
designer. The world abounds with contrivances ; and all 
the contrivances we are acquainted with, are directed to 
beneficial purposes. Evil, no doubt, exists ; but it is 
never, that we can perceive, the object of contrivance. 
Teeth are contrived to eat, not to ache ; their aching now 
and then, is incidental to the contrivance, perhaps insepa- 
rable from it : or even, if you will, let it be called a defect 
in the contrivance, but it is not the object of it. This is a 
distinction which well deserves to be attended to. In de- 
scribing implements of husbandry, you would hardly say of 
a sickle, that it is made to cut the reaper's fingers, though, 
from the construction of the instrument, and the manner 
of using it, this mischief often happens. But if you had 
occasion to describe instruments of torture or execution, 
this, you would say, is to extend the sinews ; this to dislo- 
cate the joints ; this to break the bones ; this to scorch the 
soles of the feet. Here pain and misery are the very ob- 
jects of the contrivance. Now, nothing of this sort is to 
be found in the works of nature. W T e never discover a 
train of contrivance to bring about an evil purpose. No 
anatomist ever discovered a svstem of organization calcu- 



BENEVOLENCE OP THE DEITY* 129 

lated to produce pain and disease ; or, in explaining the 
parts of the human body, ever said, this is to irritate ; this 
to inflame ; this duct is to convey the gravel to the kid- 
neys ; this gland to secrete the humour which forms the 
gout. If, by chance, he come at a part of which he knows 
not the use, the most he can say is, that it is useless ; no 
one ever suspects that it is put there to incommode, to an- 
noy, or torment. Since, then, God hath called forth his 
consummate wisdom to contrive and provide for our happi- 
ness, and the world appears to have been constituted with 
this design at first, so long as this constitution is upheld by 
him, we must, in reason, suppose the same design to con- 
tinue." — Paley's JVIoral Philosophy, Book II. Chap. 5. 

Thus, I have endeavored, in this and the preceding sec* 
tion, to exhibit a few specimens of the Wisdom and Good- 
ness of God, in the system of nature. These might have 
been multiplied to an indefinite extent, but the instances 
adduced, I presume, are sufficient to show, that the eco- 
nomy of the material world is not altogether a barren sub- 
ject, to a pious and contemplative mind. Every intelli- 
gent believer in Revelation, will readily admit, that it 
would be a highly desirable object, to induce upon the 
mass of Christians such a habit of devout attention to the 
visible works of creation, as would lead them, in their so- 
cial and solitary walks, to recognize the agency of God, 
in every object they behold ; to raise their thoughts to Him 
as the Great First Cause, and to expand their hearts with 
emotions of gratitude. How very different must be the 
sentiments and the piety of the man who looks on the 
scene of wisdom and magnificence around him, with a 
" brute unconscious gaze," as thousands of professed 
Christians do— and the grateful and pious emotions of him 
who recognizes the benevolent agency of God, in the mo- 
tions of his fingers, and his eye-balls ; in the pulsation of 
his heart ; in the picture of external objects, every moment 
formed on his retina ; in the reflection of the rays of light, 
and the diversified colors they produce ; in the drying of 
his clothes ; in the constitution of the atmosphere ; in the 
beauty and magnificence of the earth and the heavens ; 
and in every other object that meets his eye, in the ex- 
panse of nature ! The numberless astonishing instances 



130 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

of Divine agency, which every where present them- 
selves to our view in the scene around us, seem evidently 
intended to arrest the mind to a consideration of an 
" ever-present Deity ;" and I envy not the sentiments or 
the feelings of that man who imagines that he stands in 
no need of such sensible mediums, to impress his mind 
with a sense of the benevolent care and omnipresence of 
God. 



CHAPTER IL 

CONTAINING A CURSORY VIEW OF SOME OF THE 

SCIENCES WHICH ARE RELATED TO RELIGION 

AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. 



Theology has generally been viewed as a study of a very 
limited range ; and hence, when it has been admitted into 
the circle of the sciences, a much smaller space has been 
allotted for its discussion, than has been devoted to almost 
any other department of human knowledge. When con- 
sidered, however, in its most extensive sense — in its rela- 
tions to the Divine Being — to his past and present dispen- 
sations towards the human race — to the present circum- 
stances, and the future destiny of man — and to the physical 
and moral condition of all the sentient and intelligent be- 
ings of which we have any intimation — it ought to be 
viewed as the most varied and comprehensive of all the 
sciences ; as embracing, within its extensive grasp, all the 
other departments of useful knowledge, both human and 
divine. As it has God for its object, it must include a 
knowledge of the universe he has formed — of the move- 
ments which are continually going on throughout the wide 
extent of his empire, in so far as they lay open to our in- 
spection — of the attributes which appear to be displayed 
in all his operations — of the moral laws he has framed for 
the regulation of holy intelligences — of the merciful ar- 
rangements he has made for the restoration of fallen man 
— of the plans by which the knowledge of his will is to hv 
circulated and extended in the world in which we live — of 
the means by which truth, and moral purity, and order, are 
to be promoted among our apostate race, in order to then 
restoration to the happiness they have lost — together with 
all those diversified ramifications of knowledge, which 
have either a more remote, or a more immediate bearing' 



132 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

on the grand objects now specified. Like the lines which 
proceed from the circumference to the centre of an im- 
mense circle — all the moral* arts and sciences which have 
been invented by men — every department of human know- 
ledge, however far it may, at first sight, appear to be re- 
moved from religion — may be considered as having a di- 
rect bearing on Theology, as the grand central point, and 
as having a certain tendency to promote its important ob- 
jects. 

It is much to be regretted, that Theology has so seldom 
been contemplated in this point of view — and that the sci- 
ences have been considered rather as so many independent 
branches of secular knowledge, than as subservient to the 
elucidation of the facts and doctrines of religion, and to the 
accomplishment of its benevolent designs. Hence, it lias 
happened that Philosophy and Religion, instead of march- 
ing hand in hand to the portals of immortality, have frequent- 
ly set themselves in hostile array ; and combats have ensued 
equally injurious to the interests of both parties. The Phi- 
losopher has occasionally been disposed to investigate the 
economy of nature, without a reference to the attributes of 
that Almighty Being who presides over its movements, as 
if the universe were a self-moving and independent ma- 
chine ; and has, not unfrequently, taken occasion, from 
certain obscure and insulated facts, to throw out insinua- 
tions hostile to the truth and character of the Christian 
Revelation. The Theologian, on the other hand, in the 
heat of his intemperate zeal against the infidel philosopher, 
has, unguardedly, been led to declaim against the study of 
science, as if it were unfriendly to religion — has, in effect, 
set the works of God in opposition to his word — has con- 
founded the foolish theories of speculative minds with the 
rational study of the works of Deity — and has thus prevented 
the mass of mankind from expanding their minds, by the 
contemplation of the beauties and sublimities of nature. 
It is now high time that a complete reconciliation were 



+ The epithet moral is here used in its application to arts, because 
there are certain arts which must be considered as haying an immo- 
ral tendency, such as, the art of war, the art of boxing, of gambling. 
&c. &c. and which, therefore, cannot have a direct tendency to pro- 
mote the objects of religion. 



INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCES. {33 

effected between these contending parties. Religion ought 
never to disdain to derive her supports and illustrations 
from the researches of science ; for the investigations of 
philosophy into the economy of Nature, from whatever 
motives they may be undertaken, are nothing less than an 
inquiry into the plans and operations of the Eternal Mind. 
And Philosophy ought always to consider it as her highest 
honor, to walk as her handmaid in the train of that religion 
which points out the path to the regions of eternal bliss. 
By their mutual aid, and the subserviency of the one to the 
other, the moral and intellectual improvement of man will 
be promoted, and the benevolent purposes of God, in the 
kingdom of providence, gradually accomplished. But, when 
set in opposition to each other, the human mind is bewil- 
dered and retarded in its progress, and the Deity is apt to 
be considered as set in opposition to himself — as proclaim- 
ing one system of doctrines from the economy of revela- 
tion, and another, and an opposite system, from the econo- 
my of nature. But if the Christian Revelation and the 
system of the material world derived their origin from the 
same Almighty Being, the most complete harmony must 
subsist between the revelations they respectively unfold ; 
and the apparent inconsistencies which occur, must be 
owing chiefly to the circumstances of our present station in 
the universe, and to the obscure and limited views we arc 
obliged to take of some of the grand and diversified objects 
they embrace. And, therefore, we have reason to believe, 
that, when the system of nature shall be more extensively 
explored, and the leading objects of revelation contemplated 
in a clearer light, without being tinged with the false color 
ing of party opinions, and contracted views, and when 
rational inquirers shall conduct their researches with a 
greater degree of reverence, humility, and Christian 
temper — the beauty and harmony of all the plans and reve- 
lations of the Deity, in reference both to the physical and 
the moral world, will be more distinctly perceived and ap- 
preciated. 

In the following cursory sketches, it forms no part of my 
plan to trace even an outline of the different sciences which 
are connected with religion, much less to enter into any 
particular details, in relation to their facts and principles* 

12 



134 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

It would be comparatively easy to fill up the remaining 
sheets of this volume with skeletons of the different sci- 
ences ; but such meagre details as behooved to be brought 
forward, could not be interesting to the general reader, 
and would fail in accomplishing the object proposed. 
My design simply is, to select some leading facts, or gen- 
eral truths, in relation to some of the physical sciences, 
for the purpose of showing their connection with the objects 
of religion, and the interests of rational piety. At the same 
time, such definite descriptions will be given as will enable 
common readers to appreciate the objects and bearings of 
the different branches of knowledge which may be presen- 
ted to their view. 

The first science* I shall notice is that of 

NATURAL HISTORY. 

This science, taken in its most comprehensive sense, 
includes a knowledge and description of all the known facts 
in the material universe. 

It is to be regretted, that most books published under the 
title of Natural History, to which common readers have 
access, contain nothing more than a general description of 
animals, as if this science were confined merely to one 
class of beings ; whereas there is an infinite variety of other 
objects, seldom noticed, which would appear no less inte- 
resting, and, in some instances, much more novel and grati- 
fying to the general reader, and to the youthful mind. All 
the diversified forms of matter, whether existing on the 
surface or in the bowels of the earth, in the ocean, the at- 
mosphere, or in the heavens, form the legitimate objects of 
this department of the science of nature. 

Were we, therefore, to sketch a comprehensive outline 
of the subjects of Natural History, we might, in the first 



+ The term seience, in its most general and extensive sense, signi- 
fies knowledge, particularly that species of knowledge which is ac- 
quired by the exertion of the human faculties. In a more restricted 
sense, it denotes, a systematic species of knowledge, which consists 
of rule and order, such as Mathematics, Astronomy, Natural Philoso- 
phy, &c. — In the discussions contained in this work, it is used in its 
most general sense, as denoting the various departments of human 
knowledge, in which sense, history, both natural, civil, and sacred, 
may be termed science. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 135 

place, take a cursory survey of the globe we inhabit, in re- 
ference to its magnitude, figure, motions, and general ar- 
rangements—the form, relations, and extent of its conti- 
nents — the numerous islands which diversify the surface of 
the ocean — the magnitude, the direction, and the extent of 
its rivers, and the quantity of water they pour into the 
ocean — the direction, elevation, and extent of the different 
range of mountains which rise from its surface — the 
plains, morasses, lakes, forests, dells, and sandy deserts, 
which diversify its aspect — the extent, the motions, the 
color., and the different aspects of the ocean, and the facts 
which have been ascertained respecting its saltness, its 
depth, its bottom, and its different currents. We might 
next take a more particular view of some of the most re- 
markable objects on its surface, and give a detail of the 
facts which are known respecting the history of volcanoes 
— their number — the countries in which they are situated 
— the awful phenomena they exhibit — and the devastations 
they have produced : the history of earthquakes, their phe- 
nomena and effects, and the countries most subject 
to their ravages — basaltic and rocky wonders, natural 
bridges, precipices, cataracts, ice-islands, icebergs, glaciers, 
whirlpools, mineral wells, reciprocating fountains, boiling 
springs, sulphuric mountains, bituminous lakes, volcanic 
islands — the various aspects of nature in the different zones, 
and the contrast presented between the verdant scenes of 
trophical climes, and the icy cliffs of the polar regions. We 
would next take a survey of the subterraneous wonders 
which lie beneath the surface of the earth — the immense 
chasms and caverns which wind in various directions 
among the interior strata of our globe — such as the great 
Kentucky cavern, and the grotto of Antiparos — the mines 
of salt, coal, copper, lead, diamond, iron, quicksilver, tin, 
gold and silver — the substances which compose the various 
strata, the fossil bones, shells, and petrifactions which arc 
embedded in the different layers, and the bondings and dis- 
ruptions which appear to have taken place in the substan- 
ces which compose the exterior crust of the earth. Wc 
might next survey the atmosphere with which the earth is 
environed, and give a detail of the facts which have been 
ortnincd respecting its specific gravity and pressure, the 



136 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

elementary principles of which it is compounded, its re- 
fractive and reflective powers, and the phenomena which 
result from its various properties and modifications — the 
meteors which appear in its different regions — thunder and 
lightning, winds, hail, rain, clouds, rainbows ; parhelia 
or mock-suns, meteoric stones, the aurora borealis, lumi- 
nous arches, ignes fatui, the mirage, the fata morgana, 
hurricanes, monsoons, whirlwinds and waterspouts, sounds 
and echoes. 

In prosecuting our survey of sublunary nature, we would 
next advert to the various orders of the vegetable tribes — 
their anatomical structure — the circulation of their juices — 
the food by which they are nourished — the influence of 
light and air on their growth and motions — their male and 
female organs — their periods of longevity — their modes of 
propagation — -their diseases and dissolution — their orders, 
genera, and species — their immense variety— -their influ- 
ence on the salubrity of the atmosphere — the relation 
which their roots, leaves, and fruits, bear to the wants of 
man and other animals, in supplying food, clothing, and 
materials for constructing habitations — the gums and resin- 
ous substances they exude — the odors they exhale — the 
variety of colors they exhibit — the vast diversity of forms 
in which they appear — and the beauty and variety which 
they spread over the whole face of nature. 

The mineral kingdom would next require to be surveyed. 
We would inquire into the facts which have been ascer- 
tained respecting the earthy, saline, inflamable and me- 
tallic substances which are found on the surface and in the 
bowels of the earth— their specific and distinguishing cha- 
racters — the elementary principles, or simple substances, 
of which they are composed — the regions of the earth 
where the respective minerals most frequently abound — 
and the ends which they are designed to accomplish in the 
constitution of the globe. We would consider, more par- 
ticularly, the various metals, such as iron, copper, lead, 
tin, gold, silver, bismuth, zinc, &c. in reference to the 
substances with which they are united in their native ores 
— the changes produced upon them by the action of oxy- 
gen and the different acids — their combustibility — their 
combination with phosphorus, sulphur, and carbon ; the 



.natural history. 137 

various compounds into which they may be formed — their 
important uses in the arts which minister to the comfort 
and embellishment of human life — their relation to the 
multifarious necessities of man — and the wisdom and good- 
ness of the Creator, as displayed in their arrangement in 
the bowels of the earth, and in the admirable properties of 
which they are possessed. In these details, the natural 
history of Iran would hold a prominent place. In point of 
utility, it claims the highest rank in the class of metals, and 
is intrinsically more valuable than gold and silver, and all 
the diamonds of the East. There is scarcely a mineral 
substance in the whole compass of nature, which affords a 
more striking instance of the beneficial and harmonious 
adaptation of things in the universal system. "VVe would, 
therefore, consider it in reference to its vast abundance in 
all parts of the world — the numerous substances into 
which it enters into combination — its magnetical propert} 
— its capability of being fused and welded — the numerous 
useful utensils it has been the means of producing — its 
agency in carrying forward improvements in art and sci- 
ence, in the civilization of barbarous tribes, and in pro- 
moting the progress of the human mind ; and the aids 
which it alfords to the Christian missionary in heathen 
lands. 

Having surveyed the inanimate parts of the terraqueous 
pjobe, and its appendages, we might next direct our atten- 
tion to the animated tribes with which it is peopled. Be- 

ming at Man 9 the bead i f the animal creation, we would 
detail the principal facts which have be. rtained re- 

specting his structure and organical functions — the muscu- 
lar movements of the human body, the system of bones, 
nerves, veins and arteries ; the process of respiration : 
and the organs of vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and 
feeling, by which he holds a correspondence with the ma- 
terial world — the modifications which appear in his corpo- 
real frame, and in his mental faculties, during the periods 

infancy, puberty, manhood, and old age — the causes 

>f deep and dreaming — the varieties of th< 

human race, in respect of color, stature, and features — 

the deviations from the ordinary course of nature, which 

nccasionallv occur, in the case of monsters, dwarfs, and 

12* 



138 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

giants — the moral and intellectual faculties — and those dis- 
tinguishing characteristics which prove the superiority of 
man over the other tribes of animated nature. 

The inferior ranks of the animal creation would next de- 
mand our attention. We would take a survey of the nu- 
merous tribes of Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Serpents, 
Lizards, and Insects, in reference to the characteristic 
marks by which the different species are distinguished, — 
their food, and habitations — the different modes in which 
they display their architective faculty, in constructing pla- 
ces of abode for shelter and protection — the clothing with 
which they are furnished — their sagacity in finding out the 
proper means for subsistence and self-preservation — their 
hostilities — -their artifices in catching their prey, and esca- 
ping their enemies — their modes of propagation — their 
transformations from one state and form to another — their 
migrations to different countries and climates— their vari- 
ous instincts — their care in rearing and protecting their 
young — their passions, mental characters, and social dis- 
positions — their language, or modes of communication with 
each other — their capacities for instruction and improve- 
ment—their different powers of loco-motion— -the adapta- 
tion of all their organs to the purposes for which they 
seem intended — the indications they give of being possess- 
ed of moral dispositions and rational powers — their diffe- 
rent periods of longevity, and the ends which they are in- 
tended to subserve in the system of nature. Along with 
these details, certain views might be exhibited of the va- 
rious forms of sensitive life, and modes of existence, 
which obtain in those numerous species of animals which 
are invisible to the naked eye, and which the microscope 
discovers in almost every department of nature. 

Having surveyed the objects which compose our sublunary 
system, we would next direct our view to the regions of the 
sky, and contemplate the facts which have been discovered 
in relation to the celestial orbs. We would first attend to 
the apparent motion of the sun, the different points of the 
horizon at which he seems to rise and set, and the different 
degrees of elevation to which he arrives, at different sea- 
sons of the year, — the different aspects he presents as 
viewed from different parts of the earth's surface, and the 



NATURAL HISTORY. 139 

different lengths of days and nights, in different parts of the 
world. We would next attend to the varied phases of the 
moon — the direct and retrograde motions of the planets — 
the apparent diurnal motion of the whole celestial sphere, 
from east to west — and the different clusters of stars which 
are seen in our nocturnal sky, at different seasons of the 
year. We would next consider the deductions which sci- 
ence has made, respecting the order and arrangement of 
the planets which compose the solar system — their dis- 
tances from the sun, and from the earth — their magni- 
tudes — the periods of their diurnal and annual revolutions 
— the secondary planets, or moons, which accompany them 
— their eclipses — the various phenomena which their sur- 
faces present when viewed through telescopes — the physi- 
cal influence which some of them produce on the surface 
of our globe — and the singular appearance of those bodies 
called Comets, which occasionally visit this part of out 
system. We would, in the next place, extend our views 
to the starry regions, and consider the number of stars 
which present themselves to the naked eye— the immense- 
ly greater numbers which are discovered by telescopes— 
the systems into which they appear to be arranged — the 
facts which have been ascertained respecting new stars- 
double and treble stars— stars once visible, which have 
now disappeared from the heavens— variable stars, whoso 
lustre is increased and diminished at different periods of 
time— and the structure and position of the many hundreds* 
of Nebula, or starry systems, which appear to be dis- 
persed throughout the immensity of creation. 

All the particulars now stated, and many others which 
might have been specified— considered simply as facts 
which exist in the system of Nature — form the appropriate 
and legitimate objects of Natural History, and demand the 
serious attention of every rational intelligence, that wishes 
to trace the perfections and agency of the Almighty Crea- 
tor. To investigate the causes of the diversified pheno 
mesa which the material world exhibits, and the princi- 
ples and modes by which many of the facts now alluded to 
are ascertained, is the peculiar province of Natural Philo- 
sophy, Chemistry, and the Mathematical Sciences. 

\ midst so vast a variety of objects as Natural Historj 



140 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

presents, it is difficult to fix on any particular facts, as spe- 
cimens of the interesting nature of this department of 
knowledge, without going beyond the limits to which I am 
necessarily confined in this volume. I shall content my- 
self with a description of two objects, which have a refer- 
ence chiefly to the vegetable kingdom. The first of 
these is 

The Banian Tree. — " This tree, wnich is also called 
the Burr tree, or the Indian Fig, is one of the most cu- 
rious and beautiful of Nature's productions, in the genial 
climate of India, where she sports with the greatest variety 
and profusion. Each tree is in itself a grove ; and some 
of them are of an amazing size and extent, and, contrary 
to most other animal and vegetable productions, seem to 
be exempted from decay. Every branch from the main 
body, throws out its own roots ; at first, in small tender 
fibres, several yards from the ground : these continually 
crow thicker, until, by a gradual descent, they reach the 
surface, and there, striking in, they increase to large 
trunks, and become parent trees, shooting out new branch- 
es from the tops. Those in time suspend their roots, and 
receiving nourishment from the eartn, swell into trunks, 
and shoot forth other branches ; thus continuing in a state 
of progression, so long as the earth, the first parent of 
them all, contributes her sustenance. A Banian tree, with 
many trunks, forms the most beautiful walks, vistas, and 
cool recesses, that can be imagined. The leaves are 
large, soft, and of a lively green ; the fruit is a small fig, 
when ripe, of a bright scarlet, affording sustenance to 
monkeys, squirrels, peacocks, and birds of various kinds, 
which dwell among the branches. 

" The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of the Banian tree ; 
they consider its long duration, its outstretching arms, and 
its overshadowing beneficence, as emblems of the Deity, 
and almost pay it divine honors. The Brahmins, who 
thus 'find a fane in every sacred grove/ spend much of 
their time in religious solitude, under the shade of the Ba- 
nian tree ; they plant it near their temples or pagodas ; and 
in those villages where there is no structure erected for 
public w r orship, they place an image under one of these 
trees, and there perform a morning and evening sacrifice. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 141 

The natives of all castes and tribes are fond of recreating 
in the cool recesses, beautiful walks, and lovely vistas of 
this umbrageous canopy, impervious to the hottest beams 
of a tropical sun. These are the trees under which a sect 
of naked philosophers, called Gymnosophists, assembled 
in Arrian's days, and this historian of Ancient Greece pre- 
sents a true picture of the modern Hindoos. ' In winter, 9 
he says, 4 the Gymnosophists enjoy the benefit of the sun's 
rays in the open air; and in summer, when the heat be- 
comes excessive, they pass their time in cool and moist 
places, under large trees, which, according to the accounts 
of Nearchus, cover a circumference of five acres, and ex- 
tend their branches so far, that ten thousand men may easi- 
ly find shelter under them.' 

" On the banks of the river Narbudda, in the province 
of Guzzerat, is a Banian tree, supposed, by some persons, 
to be the one described by Nearchus, and certainly not in- 
ferior to it. It is distinguished by the name of Cubbeer 
Burr, which was given it in honor of a famous saint. 
High floods have, at various times, swept aw T ay a consider- 
able part of this extraordinary tree; but what still re- 
mains, is nearly two thousand feet in circumference, mea- 
sured round the principal stems ; the overhanging branches, 
not yet struck down, cover a much larger space ; and un- 
der it grow a number of custard-apple and other fruit trees. 
The large trunks of this single tree amount to three hun- 
dred and fifty ; and the smaller ones exceed three thou- 
sand ; every one of these is constantly sending forth bran- 
ches and hanging roots, to form other trunks, and become 
the parents of a future progeny. The Cubbeer Burr is 
famed throughout Hindostan, not only on account of its 
great extent, but also of its surpassing beauty. The Indian 
armies generally encamp around it ; and at stated seasons, 
solemn Jatarras, or Hindoo festivals, to which thousands 
of votaries repair, from every part of the Mogul empire, 
are there celebrated. It is said that seven thousand per- 
sons find ample room to repose under its shade. It has 
long been the custom of the British residents in India, on 
their hunting and shooting parties, to form extensive en- 
campments, and spend weeks together, under this delight- 
ful and magnificent pavillion, which affords a shelter to all 



142 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

travellers, particularly to the religious tribes of the Hindoos. 
It is generally filled with greenwood pigeons, doves, pea- 
cocks, and a variety of feathered songsters — with monkeys, 
which both divert the spectator, by their antic tricks, and in- 
terest him by the parental affection they display to their 
young offspring, in teaching them to select their food, and 
to exert themselves in jumping from bough to bough, — and 
is shaded by bats of a large size, many of them measuring 
upwards of six feet, from the extremity of one wing to the 
other. This tree affords not only shelter, but sustenance, 
to all its inhabitants, being covered amid its bright foilage, 
with small figs, of a rich scarlet, on which they all regale 
with as much delight as the lords of creation on tUeir more 
costly fare, in their parties of pleasure." — See Encyclo- 
paedia Britannica, Art. Ficus, 

This tree, which is, doubtless, one of the most singular 
and magnificent objects in the vegetable kingdom, appears 
to be a world in miniature, in which thousands both of hu- 
man beings, and of the inferior tribes that traverse the 
earth and the air, may find ample accommodation and sub- 
sistence. What a striking contrast does it present to the 
forests of trees, or mushrooms, which are perceived by the 
help of the microscope, in a piece of monldiness — every 
plant of which is several hundreds of times smaller than 
the point of a fine needle ! Yet both are the effects of the 
agency of the same All-wise and Omnipotent Being. And 
what an immense variety of gradations is to be found in 
the vegetable world, between these two extremes — every 
part of the vast interval being filled up with flowers, herbs, 
shrubs, and trees, of every color, form, and size, and in 
such vast multitudes and profusion, that no man can num- 
ber them ! 

An object, which approximates in a certain degree to 
the one now described, is mentioned in " Staunton's x\c- 
count of Macartney's Embassy to China," p. 70. It is 
called by Botanists, Adansonia, and is also known by the 
name of the Monkey Bread Tree, and was discovered in 
the Island of St. Jago. " The circumference, or girth ot 
the base, was 56 feet, which soon divided into two vast 
branches, the one in a perpendicular direction, whose 
periphery, or girth, was 42 feet, the other 26, Another* 



NATURAL HISTORY. 1 4;3 

of the same species, stood near it, whose single trunk 
girthing only 38 feet, was scarcely noticed." 

The only other specimen I shall exhibit to the reader, 
has a relation both to the animal and to the vegetable 
kingdom. It is well known that the examination of 
(lowers, and vegetables of every description, by the mi- 
croscope, opens a new and interesting field of wonders to 
the inquiring naturalist. Sir John Hill has given the fol- 
lowing curious account of what appeared on his examining 



i carnation : — 



1 The principal flower in an elegant bouquet was a car- 
nation : the fragrance of this led me to enjoy it frequently 
and near. The sense of smelling was not the only one 
affected on these occasions : while that was satiated with 
the powerful sweet, the ear was constantly attacked by an 
extremely soft, but agreeable murmuring sound. It was 
easy to know, that some animal within the covert, must be 
the musician, and that the little noise must come from some 
little creature, suited to produce it. I instantly distended 
the lower part of the flower, and placing it in a full light, 
could discover troops of little insects, frisking with wild 
jollity, among the narrow pedestals that supported its 
leaves, and the little threads that occupied its centre. 
What a fragrant world for their habitation ! What a per- 
fect security from all annoyance, in the dusky husk that 
surrounded the scene of action ! Adapting a microscope 
to take in, at one view, the whole base of the flower, I 
Tave myself an opportunity of contemplating what they 
were about, and this for many days together, without giving 
them the least disturbance. Thus, I could discover their 
economy, their passions, and their enjoyments. The mi- 
croscope, on this occasion, had given what nature seemed 
to have denied to the objects of contemplation. The base 
of the flower extended itself under its influence, to a vast 
plain ; the slender stems of the leaves became trunks of 
so many stately cedars ; the threads in the middle seemed 
columns of massy structure^ supporting at the top their 
several ornaments ; and the narrow spaces between were 
enlarged into walks, parterres, and terraces. On the polish- 
ed bottoms of these, brighter than Parian marble, walked 
m pairs, alone, or in larger companios, the winged inhabit- 



144 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

ants : these, from little dusky flies, for such only the na- 
ked eye would have shown them, were raised to glorious 
glittering animals, stained with living purple, and with a 
glossy gold, that would have made all the labors of the 
loom contemptible in the comparison. — I could, at leisure, 
as they walked together, admire their elegant limbs, their 
velvet shoulders, and their silken wings ; their backs vieing 
with the empyrean in its blue ; and their eyes, each form- 
ed of a thousand others, out-glittering the little planes on a 
brilliant ; above description, and too great almost for ad- 
miration. I could observe them here singling out their fa- 
vorite females ; courting them with the music of their 
buzzing wings, with little songs, formed for their little or- 
gans, leading them from walk to walk, among the perfumed 
shades, and pointing out to their taste, the drop ofliquid 
nectar, just bursting from some vein within the living 
trunk — here, were the perfumed groves, the more than 
mystic shades of the poet's fancy realized. Here the hap- 
py lovers spent their days in joyful dalliance, or, in the 
triumph of their little hearts, skipped after one another, 
from stem to stem, among the painted trees, or winged 
their short flight to the close shadow of some broader leaf, 
to revel undisturbed in the heights of all felicity." 

This picture of the splendor and felicity of insect life, 
may, to certain readers, appear somewhat overcharged. 
But those who have been much in the habit of contem- 
plating the beauties of the animal and vegetable world, 
through microscopes, can easily enter into all the views 
which are here described. I have selected this example, 
for the purpose of illustrating the unbounded goodness of 
the Creator, in the vast profusion of enjoyment he has 
communicated, even to the lowest tribes of animal ex- 
istence, and as a specimen of those invisible worlds which 
exist beyond the range of our natural vision. For it ap- 
pears, that there is a gradation of worlds downwards, as 
well as upwards. However small our globe may appear 
when compared with the sun, and with the immensity of 
starry systems which lie dispersed through the infinity of 
3pace, there are worlds filled with myriads of living beings, 
which, in point of size and extent, bear as small a propor- 
tion to the earth, as the earth bears to the vast assem- 



NATURAL HISTORY. 145 

biage of the celestial worlds. A single flower, a leaf, or 
a drop of water, may appear as large, and as diversified in 
its structure, to some of the beings which inhabit it, as the 
whole earth appears to the view of man ; and a thousand 
scenes of magnificence and beauty may be presented to 
their sight, of which no distinct conception can be formed 
by the human mind. The many thousands of transparent 
globes, of which their eyes are composed, may magnify 
and multiply the objects around them without end, so that 
an object scarcely visible to the eye of man, may appear 
to them as a vast extended universe. 

" Having examined," says St. Pierre, " one day, by a 
microscope, the flowers of thyme, I distinguished in them, 
with equal surprise and delight, superb flagons with a long 
neck, of a substance resembling the amethyst, from the 
gullets of which seemed to flow ingots of liquid gold. I have 
never made observations of the corolla, simply of the 
smallest flower, without finding it composed of an admira- 
ble substance, half transparent, studded with brilliants, 
and shining in the most lively colors. The beings which 
live under a reflex thus enriched, must have ideas very dif- 
ferent from ours, of light, and of the other phenomena of 
nature. A drop of dew, filtering in the capillary and 
transparent tubes of a plant, presents to them thousands of 
cascades ; the same drop fixed as a wave on the extremity 
of one of its prickles, an ocean without a shore; evaporated 
into air, a vast aerial sea. — It is credible, then, from analo- 
gy, that there are animals feeding on the leaves of plants, 
like the cattle in our meadows, and on our mountains, 
which repose under the shade of a down imperceptible to 
the naked eye, and which, from goblets formed like so 
many suns, quaff nectar of the color of gold and silver." 

Thus it appears that the universe extends to infinity on 
either hand; and that wherever matter exists, from the 
ponderous globes of heaven down to the invisible atom, 
there the Almighty Creator has prepared habitations for 
countless orders of existence, from the seraph to the ani- 
malcula, in order to demonstrate his boundless beneficence^ 
and the infinite variety of modes by which he can diffuse 
happiness through the universal system. 

13 



146 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 

M How sweet to muse upon His skill displayed i 

Infinite skill ! in all that He has made ; 

To trace in nature's most minute design, 

The signature and stamp of Power Divine j 

Contrivance exquisite, expressed with ease* 

Where unassisted sight no beauty sees r 

The shapely limb and lubricated joint, 

Within the small dimensions of a point 5 

Muscle and nerve miraculously spun, 

His mighty work who speaks, and it is done. 

Th' invisible in things scarce seen revealed ; 

To whom an atom is an ample field !" Cowper's Retire3ient\ 

With regard to the religious tendency of the study of 
Natural History, it may be remarked — that, as all the 
objects which it embraces are the ivorkmanship of God — * 
the delineations and descriptions of the Natural Historian, 
must be considered as " The history of the operations of 
the Creator ;" or, in other words, so far as the science ex- 
tends, " The history of the Creator himself:" for the marks 
of his incessant agency, his power, wisdom, and benefi- 
cence, are impressed on every object, however minute, 
throughout the three kingdoms of nature, and throughout 
every region of earth, air, and sky. As the Diety is invisi- 
ble to mortal eyes, and cannot be directly contemplated by 
finite minds, without some material medium of communi- 
cation — there are but two mediums with which we are 
acquainted by which we can attain a knowledge of his 
nature and perfections. These are, either the facts which 
have occurred in the course of his providential dispensa- 
tions towards our race, since the commencement of time, 
and the moral truths connected with them — or, the facts 
which are displayed in the economy of nature. The first 
class of facts is recorded in the Sacred History, and in the 
Annals of Nations ; the second class is exhibited in the 
diversified objects and motions which appear throughout 
the system of the visible universe. The one may be termed 
the Moral History, and the other, the Natural History of 
the operations of the Creator. It is obviously incumbent 
on every rational being, to contemplate the Creator through 
both these mediums ; for each of them conveys its distinct 
and peculiar revelations ; and, consequently, our perception 
of Deity through the one medium, does not supersede the 



NATURAL HISTORY. 147 

necessity of our contemplating him through the other. 
While, therefore, it is our duty to contemplate the perfec- 
tions, the providence, and the agency of God, as displayed 
in the Scripture-Revelation, it is also incumbent upon us, 
to trace his attributes in the System of Nature, in order 
that we may be enabled to contemplate the Eternal Jeho- 
vah, in every variety of aspect, in which he has been 
pleased to exhibit himself, in the universe he has formed. 

The visible creation may be considered as a permanent 
and sensible manifestation of Deity ; intended every mo- 
ment to present to our view, the unceasing energies of Him 
-'in whom we live and move." And if the train of our 
thoughts were directed in its proper channel, we would 
perceive God in every object, and in every movement : we 
would behold him operating in the whirlwind, and in the 
storm ; in the subterraneous cavern, and in the depths of 
the ocean ; in the gentle rain and the refreshing breeze ; 
in the rainbow, the fiery meteor, and the lightning's flash; 
in the splendors of the sun, and the majestic movements 
of the heavens ; in the frisking of the lambs, the songs of 
birds, and the buzz of insects ; in the circulation of our 
blood, the movements of our joints, the motion of our eye- 
balls, and in the rays of light which are continually darting 
from surrounding objects, for the purposes of vision. For 
these, and ten thousand other agencies in the system of 
nature, are nothing else but the voice of Deity, proclaiming 
to the sons of men, in silent but emphatic language, 
11 Stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God." 

If, then, it be admitted) that the study of Nature is the 
study of the Creator — to overlook the grand and beautiful 
scenery with which we are surrounded, or to undervalue 
any thing which Infinite Wisdom has formed, is to overlook 
and contemn the Creator himself. Whatever God has 
thought proper to create, and to present to cur view in the 
visible world, it becomes man to study and contemplate, 
that, from thence, he may derive motives to excite him to 
the exercise of reverence and adoration, of gratitude and 
praise. In so far as any individual is unacquainted with 
the various facts of the history of nature, in so far does he 
remain ignorant of the manifestations of Deity ; for every 
object, on the theatre of the universe, exhibits his character 



148 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and designs in a different point of view. He who see^ 
God only as he displays himself in his operations on the 
earth, but has never contemplated the firmament with the 
eye of reason, must be unacquainted with those amazing en- 
ergies of eternal Power, which are displayed in the stu- 
pendous fabric and movements of the orbs of heaven. He 
who sees God only in the general appearances of nature, 
but neglects to penetrate into his minute operations, must 
remain ignorant of those astonishing manifestations of Di- 
vine wisdom and skill which appear in the contrivances, 
adaptations, and functions, of the animal and the vegetable 
kingdoms. For, the more we know of the work, the more 
accurate and comprehensive will be our views of the Intel- 
ligence by whom it was designed ; and the farther we carry 
our investigations of the works of God, the more admira- 
ble and astonishing will his plans and perfections appear. 
In short, a devout contemplation of the works of nature 
tends to ennoble the human soul, and to dignify and exalt 
the affections. It inspires the mind with a relish of the 
beauty, the harmony and order which subsist in the uni- 
verse around us — it elevates the soul to the love and ad- 
miration of that Being who is the author of all our com- 
forts, and of all that is sublime and beneficent in creation, 
and excites us to join with all holy beings in a chorus of 
praise to the God and Father of all. For they 

w Whom Nature's works can charm, with God himself 
Hold converse, grow familiar day by day 
With his conceptions, act upon his plan, 
And form to his the relish of their souls." 

The man who surveys the vast field of nature, with the eye 
of reason and devotion, will not only gain a more compre- 
hensive view of that illimitable power which organized the 
universe, but will find his sources of enjoyment continually 
increased, and will feel an ardent desire after that glorious 
world, where the veil which now hides from our sight some 
of the grandest manifestations of Deity will be withdrawn, 
and the wonders of Omnipotence be displayed in all their 
splendor and perfection. 

In conformity with these sentiments, we find the inspired 

writers, in numerous instances, calling our attention to the 

v onders of creating power and wisdom. In one of the first 



NATURAL HISTORY. 149 

speeches in which the Almighty is introduced as addressing 
the sons of men, and the longest one in the Bible,* our at- 
tention is exclusively directed to the subjects of Natural 
History ; — the whole address having a reference to the 
economy of Divine Wisdom in the arrangement of the 
world at its first creation — the wonders of the ocean, and 
of light and darkness — the phenomena of ihunder and 
lightning, rain, hail, snow, frost, and other meteors in the 
atmosphere — the intellectual faculties of man, and the eco- 
nomy and instinct of quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and other 
tribes of animated existence. Indeed, the greater part of 
the sublime descriptions contained in the book of Job, has 
a direct reference to the agency of God in the material 
creation, and to the course of his providence in relation to 
the different characters of men ; and the reasonings of the 
different speakers, in that sacred drama, proceed on the 
supposition, that their auditors wer> intimately acquainted 
with the varied appearances of nature, and their tendency 
to exhibit the character and perfections of the Omnipotent 
Creator. — We find the Psalmist, in the 104th Psalm, em- 
ployed in a devout description of similar objects, from the 
contemplation of which his mind is raised to adoring views 
of their Almighty Author — and, from ;ae whole of his sur- 
vey, he deduces the following conclusions : — " How mani- 
fold are thy works, O Lord ! In wisdom thou hast made 
them all ! The earth is full of thy riches ; so is this great 
and wide sea, wherein are things t reeping innumerable, 
both small and great beasts. The Glory of the Lord shall 
endure for ever ; the Lord shall rejoice in all his works. f 



* Job, chap, xxxviii. xxxix. xl. xli. 

t The glory of the Lord, in this passage, denotes the display of his 
perfections in the material universe ; and the declaration of the in- 
spired writer plainly intimates, that this display will continue /oreyer, 
and will remain as an object of unceasing contemplation to all intel- 
ligences, and as an eternal monument of his Power and Wisdom. For 
although the earth and the aerial heavens will be changed at the 
close of that dispensation of Providence which respects our world, 
yet the general frame of the universe, in its oth^r parts, will remain 
substantially the same ; and not only so, but will in all probability be 
perpetually increasing in magnitude and grandeur. And the change 
which will be effected in respect to the terraqueous globe and its ap- 
pendages will be such, that Jehovah will have reason to M rejoice" in 
this, as well as in all his other works. 

13* 



150 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live ; I will sing 
praises to my God, while I have my being." 

But, in order to enter into the spirit of such sublime re- 
flections, we must not content ourselves with a superficial 
and cursory view of the objects and operations of nature ; 
we must not think it sufficient to acquiesce in such vague 
propositions as these — " The glory of God is seen in every 
blade of grass, and every drop of water ; all nature is full 
of wonders, from the dust of the earth to the stars of the 
firmament." We must study the works of creation with 
ardor, survey them with minute attention, and endeavor to 
acquire a specific and comprehensive knowledge of the 
Creator's designs. We must endeavor to acquire a know- 
ledge of the particular modes, circumstances, contexture, 
configurations, adaptations, structure, functions, and rela- 
tions of those objects in which benevolence and design 
conspicuously appear — in the animal and the vegetable 
world, in the ocean, the atmosphere, and the heavens : 
that the mind may be enabled to draw the conclusion with 
full conviction and intelligence — u In wisdom thou hast 
made them all." The pointed interrogatories which Jeho- 
vah addressed to Job, evidently imply, that Job had pre- 
viously acquired an intimate acquaintance with the works 
of nature. It seems to be taken for granted, as a matter 
of course, that he had made himself acquainted with the 
general range of facts in the visible creation ; and the in- 
tention of the several questions presented to his consider- 
ation, evidently was, to impress him with a sense of his 
own impotency, and to lead him to the investigation of the 
wonders of Creating Power which he had formerly over- 
looked. — The conclusion which the Psalmist draws re- 
specting the Wisdom displayed throughout all the works 
of God, plainly intimates, that he had made the different 
parts of nature the subject of minute examination, and of 
deep reflection ; otherwise he could not have rationally de- 
duced his conclusion, or felt those emotions which filled 
his mind with the pious rapture so beautifully expressed in 
that hymn of praise to the Creator of the world. 

We have, therefore, reason to believe, from these and 
other instances, that pious men, " in the days of old/' were 
much more accustomed than modern Christians, to con- 



GEOGRAPHY. lb j 

template and admire the visible works of the Lord — and it 
is surely much to be regretted, that we, who enjoy so many 
superior means of information, and who have access to the 
brilliant discoveries of later and more enlightened times, 
should manifest so much disregard to " the works of Jeho- 
vah and the operations of his hands." To enable the com- 
mon mass of Christians to enter into the spirit of this de- 
lightful study and Christian duty, should, therefore, be one 
object of those periodical and other religious works which 
are put into their hands ; so that they may be enabled, 
with vigor and intelligence, to form the pious resolution of 
Asaph, "I will meditate on all thy works, O Lord! and 
talk of thy doings." " I will utter abundantly the memory 
of thy great goodness, and tell of all thy wondrous 
works."* 

GEOGRAPHY. 

The next department of knowledge I shall notice is the 
science of Geography. 

The object of this science is, to describe the world we 
inhabit, in reference to the continents, islands, mountains, 
oceans, seas, rivers, empires and kingdoms with which it 
is diversified, together with the manners, customs, and re- 
ligion of the different tribes which people its surface. 

In order to form an accurate conception of the relative 
positions of objects on the surface of the earth, and to en- 
ter, with intelligence, on the study of this subject, it is re- 
quisite, first of all, to have an accurate idea of its figiwe and 
magnitude. For a long series of ages, it was supposed by 
the bulk of mankind, that the surface of the earth was near- 
ly a plane, indefinitely extended, and bounded on all sides 
by the sky. Lactantius, and several of the Fathers of the 
Christian church, strenuously argued that the earth was 
extended infinitely downwards, and established upon seve- 
ral foundations. The ancient philosopher Heraclitus is 
said to have believed that the earth was of the shape of a 
skirl or canoe, very much hollowed ; and the philosopher 



* A select list of popular works on Natural History, and the other 
sciences noticed in the following sketches, will be found in the Jlp 
pendix. 



152 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

Leucippus supposed it to be of the form of a cylinder or a 
drum. It is only within the period of the last three hun- 
dred years that the true figure of the earth has been accu- 
rately ascertained. This figure is now found to be that or 
an oblate spheroid, nearly approaching to the shape of a 
globe or sphere. — To have asserted this opinion several 
ages ago would have been considered as a heresy in reli- 
gion, and would have subjected its abettors to the anathe- 
mas of the church, and even to the peril of their lives. 
Historians inform us, that the learned Spigelius, bishop of 
Upsal, in Sweden, suffered martyrdom at the stake, in de- 
fence of the doctrine of the Antipodes ; and we know that, 
for asserting the motion of the earth, the celebrated philo- 
sopher Galileo was immured in a dungeon, and condemned 
by an assembly of Cardinals to all the horrors of perpetual 
imprisonment. The doctrine he maintained, and which is 
now universally received by every one acquainted with the 
subject, was declared by these arrogant ecclesiastics to be 
"a proposition absurd in its very nature, false in philoso- 
phy, heretical in religion, and contrary to the Holy Scrip- 
tures.' 5 Such are some of the horrible and pernicious con- 
sequences which flow from ignorance of the phenomena of 
nature, and of those laws by which the Almighty governs 
the universe he has formed ; and which prove it to be a 
Christian duty for every rational being to study the order 
and economy of the visible world. 

That the earth is nearly of a globular figure, is proved by 
the following considerations: 1. When we stand on the 
sea shore, while the sea is perfectly calm, we perceive that 
the surface of the water is not quite plain, but convex or 
rounded ; and if we are on the one side of an arm of the sea, 
as the Frith of Forth, and, with our eyes near the water, 
look towards the opposite coast, we shall plainly see the 
water elevated between our eyes and the opposite shore, 
so as to prevent our seeing the land near the edge of the 
water. The same experiment may be made on any por- 
tion of still water, of a mile or two in extent, when its con- 
vexity will be perceived by the eye. A little boat, for in- 
stance, may be perceived by a man who is any height 
above the water, but if he stoops down, and lays his eye 
near the surface, he will find that the fluid appears to<rise 



GEOGRAPHY. 153 

and intercept the view of tht boat. 2. If we take our sta- 
tion on the sea-shore, and view the ships leaving the coast, 
in any direction — as they retire from our view, we may per- 
ceive the masts and rigging of the vessels when the hulls 
are out of sight, and, as it were, sunk in the water. On 
the other hand, when a ship is approaching the shore, 
the first part of her that is seen is the topmast ; as she ap- 
proaches nearer, the sails become visible, and, last of all, 
the hull comes gradually into view.* The reason of such 
appearances obviously is, that the round or convex surface 
of the water interposes between our eye and the body of 
the ship, when she has reached a certain distance, while, 
at the same time, the sails and topmast, from their greater 
elevation, may be still in view. To the same cause it is 
owing, that the higher the eye is placed, the more exten- 
sive is the prospect ; and hence it is common for sailors to 
climb to the tops of masts, in order to discover land or 
ships at a distance. The contrary of all this would take 
place, if the earth and waters were an extended plane. 
When a ship came within view, the hull would first make its 
appearance, being the largest object, next the sails, and, 
last of all, the topmast. These considerations, which hold 
f rue in all parts of the world, prove to a certainty, that the 
mass of the ocean is of a globular form ; and if the ocean 
be a portion of a sphere, it follows, that the land also is of 
the same general figure ; for no portion of the earth's sur- 
face is elevated more than four or five miles above the level of 
the ocean. 3. That the earth is round from north to south, 
appears from the following circumstance : — When we tra- 
vel a considerable distance from north to south, or from 
south to north, a number of new stars successively appear 
in the heavens, in the quarter to which we are advancing, 
and many of those in the opposite quarter gradually disap- 
pear, which would not happen if the earth were a plane, in 
that direction. 4. That the earth is round, from east to 
west, appears from actual experiment ; for many naviga- 
tors, by sailing in a westerly direction, have gone quite 



* In order to make such observations to advantage, the observer's 
eye should be, as nrar as possible, on a level with the sea, and be 
should use a telescope to enable him to peiceive more distinctly the 
ripper parts of the vc**'.! . 



154 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

round it, from east to west ; and, were it not for the frozen 
seas, within the polar regions, which interrupt navigation 
in those directions, it would, long ere now, have been cir- 
cumnavigated from north to south. 5. All these proofe 
are confirmed and illustrated by eclipses of the moon, 
which present an ocular demonstration of the earth's ro- 
tundity. An eclipse of the moon is caused by the inter- 
vention of the body of the earth between the sun, and the 
moon ; in which case, the shadow of the earth falls upon 
the moon. This shadow is found in all cases, and in 
€very position of the earth, to be of a circular figure : 
which incontrovertibly proves, that the whole mass of land 
and water, of which the earth is composed, is nearly of a 
globular form. The mountains and vales which diversify 
its surface, detract little or nothing from its globular shape ; 
for they bear no more proportion to its whole bulk than a 
few grains of sand to a common terrestrial globe ; the 
highest mountains on its surface being little more than the 
two thousandth parts of its diameter. Some of the moun- 
tains on the surface of the moon are higher than those on 
the earth, and yet that body appears, both to the naked 
eye, and through telescopes, of a spherical figure. 

To some readers, the discovery of the true figure of the 
earth may appear as a matter of very trivial importance in 
religion. I hesitate not, however, to affirm that it consti- 
tutes a most important fact in the history of Divine Provi- 
dence. Had not this discovery been made, it is probable, 
that the vast continent of America might yet have remained 
undiscovered ; for Columbus, who first discovered that new 
world, had learned, contrary to the general opinion of 
those times, that the earth was of a spherical figure ; and, 
from the maps then existing, he began to conjecture, that 
the nearest way of sailing to the East Indies, would be to 
sail westward. And, although, he missed the object of his 
research, he was the means of laying open to view a vast 
and unknown region of the earth, destined, in due time, to 
receive from the Eastern world, the blessings of know- 
ledge, civilization, and religion. On the knowledge of the 
spherical figure of the earth, the art of navigation, in a 
great measure, depends ; and all the voyages of discovery, 
which have been made in later years, were undertaken in 
consequence of the knowledge of this fact. Had mankind 



GEOGRAPHY. 1 55 

remained unacquainted with this discovery, the circumna- 
vigation of the globe would never have been attempted, 
■ — vast portions of the habitable world would have re- 
mained unknown and unexplored — no regular intercourse 
would have been maintained between the various tribes of 
the human race, and, consequently, the blessings of Divine 
Revelation could never have been communicated to the 
greater part of the Gentile world. Besides, the knowledge 
of the true figure and magnitude of our sublunary world, 
forms the ground-work of all the sublime discoveries which 
have hitherto been made in the regions of the firmament. 
For, its diameter forms the base line of those triangles by 
which the distances and magnitudes of the celestial globes 
have been determined ; without a knowledge of the extent 
of which, the important results which have been deduced, 
respecting the system of the universe, could not have been 
ascertained, and, consequently, our views of the grandeur 
and omnipotence of the Deity, and of the magnificence 
and extent of his dominions, must have been much more 
circumscribed than they now are. Such is the intimate 
connection that subsists between every part of the chain of 
Divine dispensations, that if any one link had been either 
broken or dissolved, the state of things, in the moral and 
intellectual world, would have been very different from 
what it now is ; and the plans of Providence, for accom- 
plishing the renovation and improvement of mankind, 
would have been either partially or totally frustrated. 

With regard to the magnitude of the earth — I have 
already stated the mode by which we may acquire the 
most accurate and comprehensive conception of this parti- 
cular, in the course of the illustrations which were given 
of the Omnipotence of Deity, (pp. 35 — 39). It is neces- 
sary here only to remark — that, according to the latest 
computations, the diameter of the earth is about 7,930 
miles, and its circumference 24,912 miles; and, conse- 
quently, the whole surface of the land and water it con- 
tains, comprehends an area of 197,552,160 miles. The 
proportion of land and water on its surface cannot be very 
accurately ascertained ; but it is quite evident, from an 
inspection of a map of the world, that the water occupies 
at least two-thirds of its surface, and, of course, the land 



156 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

cannot occupy more than one-third. Supposing it to be 
only one-fourth of the earth's surface, it will contain 49 r 
3S8,040 square miles, which is considerably more than 
what is stated in most of our late systems of Geography ; 
in some of which the extent of the land is rated at 39 mil- 
lions, and in others, so low as 30 millions of square miles 
— the former of which statements being less than one-fifth, 
and the latter less than one- sixth of the surface of the 
globe. But, it is quite obvious, that the extent of the 
land cannot be less than one-fourth of the area of the 
globe, and must, therefore, comprehend at least 50 mil- 
lions of square miles. And, if a large Arctic continent, 
eleven hundred leagues in length, exist around the North 
Pole, as some French philosophers infer, from Captain 
Parry's late discoveries*- — the quantity of land on the ter- 
raqueous globe will be much greater than what has been 
now stated. 

General Divisions of the Earth. — The surface of 
the earth is divided, from north to south, by two bands of 
earth, and two of water. The first band of earth is the 
ancient or Eastern Continent, comprehending Europe, 
Asia, and Africa ; the greatest length of which is found to 
be in a line beginning on the east point of the northern 
part of Tartary, and extending from thence to the Cape 
of Good Hope, which measures about 10,000 miles, in a 
direction nearly from North-east to South-west ; but if 
measured according to the meridians, or from north to 
south, it extends only 7,560 miles, from the northernmost 
cape in Lapland to the Cape of Good Hope. This vast 
body of land contains about 36 millions of square miles, 
forming nearly one-fifth of the whole surface of the globe. 
The other band of earth is, what is commonly called the 
New Continent, which comprehends North and South 
x\merica. Its greatest length lies in a line beginning at 
the mouth of the river Plata, passing through the island of 
Jamaica, and terminating beyond Hudson's Bay ; and it 
measures about 8,000 miles. This body of land contains 
14 millions of square miles, or somewhat more than a 
third of the old Continent. 



* See Monthly Magazine, April, 1823, p. 259, 



GEOGRAPHY. 157 

It may not be improper here to remark, that the two 
lines now mentioned, which measure the greatest lengths 
of the two continents, divide them into two equal parts, so 
that an equal portion of land lies on each side of these 
lines, and that each of the lines has an inclination of 
about 30 degrees to the equator, but in opposite direc- 
tions ; that of the old continent extending from the north- 
east to the south-west ; and that of the new continent, 
from the north-west to the south-east ; and that they both 
terminate at the same degree of northern and southern 
latitude. It may also be noticed, that the old and new 
continents are almost opposite to each other, and that the 
old is more extensive to the north of the equator, and the 
new more extensive to the south. The centre of the old 
continent is in the 17th degree of north latitude, and the 
centre of the new, in the 17th degree of south latitude : 
so that they seem to be made to counterbalance each 
other, in order to preserve the equability of the diurnal 
rotation of the earth. There is also a singular connec- 
tion between the two continents, namely, that if they were 
divided into two parts, all four would be surrounded by 
the sea, were it not for the two small necks of land called 
the isthmuses of Suez and Panama.* 

Between the two continents now mentioned, lie two im- 
mense bands of water, termed the Pacific and the Atlantic 
oceans, whose greatest length is likewise in a direction 
from north to south. 

Besides the two bands of earth to which I have advert- 
ed, many extensive portions of land are dispersed through 
the ocean, which covers the remaining part of the earth's 
surface ; particularly the extensive regions of New Hol- 
land, which occupy a space nearly as large as the whole of 
Europe, and the Arctic continent, which probably exists 
within the North Polar regions, and which some French 
writers propose to designate by the name of Boreasia, is, 
in all probability, of equal extent. There are also the 
extensive islands of New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, 
Sumatra, Japan, Great Britain, New Zealand, Ceylon, 
Iceland, Cuba, Java, and thousands of others, of different 



* See Button's Natural History, vol. I. 

14 



158 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

dimensions, scattered through the Pacific, the Indian, and 
the Atlantic oceans, and which form a very considerable 
portion of the habitable regions of the globe. 

General Features of the Earth's Surface. — In 
taking a general survey of the external features of the 
earth, the most prominent objects that strike the eye, are 
those huge elevations which rise above the level of its ge- 
neral surface, termed Hills and Mountains. These are 
distributed in various forms and sizes, through every por- 
tion of the continents and islands ; and, running in im- 
mense chains, form a sort of connecting band to the other 
portions of the earth's surface. The largest mountains 
are generally formed into immense chains, which extend^ 
in nearly the same direction, for several hundreds, and 
even thousands, of miles. It has been observed by some 
philosophers, that the most lofty mountains form two im- 
mense ridges or belts, which, with some interruptions, 
extend around the whole globe, in nearly the same direc- 
tion. One of these ridges lies between the 45th and 55th 
degree of North latitude. Beginning on the western 
shores of France and Spain, it extends eastward, including 
the Alps and the Pyrenees, in Europe, the Uralian and Al- 
taic mountains, in Asia — extending from thence to the 
shores of Kamtschatka, and, after a short interruption from 
the sea, they rise again on the western coast of America, 
and terminate at Canada, near the eastern shore. It is 
supposed that the chain is continued completely round the 
globe, through the space that is covered by the Atlantic 
ocean, and that the Azores, and other islands in that direc- 
tion, are the only summits that are visible, till we come to 
the British isles. The other ridge runs along the South- 
ern hemisphere, between the 20th and 30th degrees of 
South latitude, of which detached portions are found in 
the mountains of Tucuman and of Paraguay, in South 
America, — of Monomotapa and Caffraria, in Africa ; in 
New Holland, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the 
Friendly, the Society, and other islands in the Pacific 
ocean. From these ridges flow a variety of ramifications, 
in both hemispheres, towards the Equator, and the Poles, 
which altogether, present a magnificent scenery, which 
diversifies and enlivens the surface of our globe. 



GEOGRAPHY. 159 

The highest mountains in the world, according to some 
late accounts published in the " Transactions of the Asia- 
tic Society," are the Himalaya chain, north of Bengal, on 
the borders of Tibet. The highest mountain in this range 
is stated to be about 27,000 feet, or a little more than five 
miles in perpendicular height, and is visible at the distance 
of 230 miles. Nineteen different mountains in this chain 
are stated to be above four miles in perpendicular eleva- 
tion. Next to the Himalayas, are the Andes, in South 
America, which extend more than 4000 miles in length, 
from the province of Quito to the straits of Magellan. 
The highest summit of the Andes, is Chimborazo, which 
is said to be 20,600 feet, or nearly four miles, above the 
level of the sea. The highest mountains in Europe, are 
the Alps, which run through Switzerland and the north of 
Italy, — the Pyrenees, which separate France from Spain, 
and the Dofrafeld, which divide Norway from Sweden. 
The most elevated ridges in Asia, are Mount Taurus, 
Imaus, Caucasus, Ararat, the Uralian, the Altaian, and the 
mountains of Japan, — in Africa, Mount Atlas, and the 
Mountains of the Moon. Some of the mountains in these 
ranges, are found to contain immense caverns or perfora- 
tions, of more than two miles in circumference, reaching 
from their summits to an immeasurable depth into the 
bowels of the earth. From these dreadful openings, are 
frequently thrown up, to an immense height, torrents of 
fire and smoke, rivers of melted metals, clouds of ashes 
and cinders, and sometimes red-hot stones and enormous 
rocks, to the distance of several miles, accompanied with 
thunders, lightnings, darkness, and horrid subterraneous 
sounds — producing the most terrible devastations through 
all the surrounding districts. The most noted mountains 
of this kind in Europe, are mount Hecla, in Iceland ; iEtna, 
in Sicily ; and Vesuvius, near the city of Naples, in Italy. 
Numbers of volcanoes are also to be found in South Ame- 
rica, in Africa, in the islands of the Indian ocean, and in 
the Empire of Japan.* 

We, who live in Great Britain, where the highest moun- 



+ A more particular description of the phenomena of these terrific 
objects will be found in Chap. iv. Sect. 2. 



160 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tain is little more than three quarters of a mile in perpenoS 
cular elevation, can form no adequate idea of the magnifi* 
cenee and awful sublimity of the mountain scenery in 
some of the countries now mentioned ; especially when 
the volcano is belching forth its flames with a raging noise, 
and spreading terror and desolation around its base. 
From the tops of the lofty ridges of the Andes, the most 
grand and novel scenes sometimes burst upon the eye of 
the astonished traveller. He beholds the upper surface of 
the clouds far below him, covering the subjacent plain, and 
surrounding, like a vast sea, the foot of the mountain ; 
while the place on which he stands appears like an island 
in the midst of the ocean. He sees the lightnings issuing 
from the clouds, and hears the noise of the tempest, 
and the thunders rolling far beneath his feet, while all is 
serene around him, and the blue vault of heaven appears 
without a cloud. At other times, he co-ntemplates the most 
sublime and extensive prospects — mountains ranged around 
him, covered with eternal snow, and surrounding, like a 
vast amphitheatre, the plains below — rivers winding from 
their sources towards the ocean— cataracts dashing head- 
Ions over tremendous cliffs — enormous rocks detached 
from their bases, and rolling down the declivity of the 
mountains with a noise louder than thunder — frightful 
precipices impending over his head — unfathomable caverns 
yawning from below — and the distant volcano sending forth 
its bellowings, with its top enveloped in fire and smoke. 
Those who have studied nature on a grand scale, have al- 
ways been struck with admiration and astonishment, at 
the sublime and awful exhibition of wonders which moun- 
tainous regions exhibit ; and perhaps, there is no terrestrial 
scene which presents, at one view, so many objects of 
overpowering magnitude and grandeur, and which inspires 
the mind with so impressive an idea of the power of that 
Almighty Being, who " weigheth the mountains in scales, 
and taketh up the isles as a very little thing." 

The Ocean. — The ocean surrounds the earth on all 
sides, and penetrates into the interior parts of different 
countries ; sometimes by large openings, and frequently by 
small straits. Could the eye take in this immense sheet of 
waters at one view, it would appear the most august object 






GEOGRAPHY. 161 

under the whole heavens. It occupies a space on the sur- 
face of the globe at leat three times greater than that 
which is occupied by the land ; comprehending an extent 
of 148 millions of square miles. Though the ocean, 
strictly speaking, is but one immense body of waters, ex- 
tending in different directions, yet different names have 
been appropriated to different portions of its surface. 
That portion of its waters which rolls between the western 
coast of America, and the eastern shores of Asia, is called 
the Pacific ocean ; and that portion which separates Eu- 
rope and Africa from America, the Atlantic ocean. 
Other portions are termed the Northern, Southern, and 
Indian oceans. When its waters penetrate into the land, 
they form what is called gulfs, and mediterranean seas. 
But without following it through all its windings and divi- 
sions, I shall simply state a few general facts. 

"With regard to the Depth of this body of water, no 
certain conclusions have yet been formed. Beyond a cer- 
tain depth, it has hitherto been found unfathomable. We 
know, in general, that the depth of the sea increases gra- 
dually as we leave the shore ; but we have reason t6 be- 
lieve that this increase of depth continues only to a certain 
distance. The numerous islands scattered every where 
through the ocean, demonstrate, that the bottom of the 
waters, so far from uniformly sinking, sometimes rises into 
lofty mountains. It is highly probable, that the depth of 
the sea is somewhat in proportion to the elevation of the 
land ; for there is some reason to conclude, that the pre* 
• tit bed of the ocean formed the inhabited part of the an- 
cient world, previously to the general Deluge, and that we 
are now occupying the bed of the former ocean ; and, if so, 
its greatest depth will not exceed four or five miles ; for 
there is no mountain that rises higher above the level of 
the sea. But the sea has never been actually sounded to 
a greater depth than a mile and 6G feet. Along the coast, 
its depth has always been found proportioned to the height 
of the shore ; where the coast is high and mountainous, the 
*ea that washes it is deep ; but where the coast is low, the 
water is shallow. To calculate the quantity of water i 
contains, we must therefore suppose a medium depth. If 
wc reckon its average depth at two miles, it will contain 

14* 






162 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

296 millions of cubical miles of water. We shall have a 
more specific idea of this enormous mass of water, if we 
consider that it is sufficient to cover the whole globe, to 
the height of more than eight thousand feet ; and if this 
water were reduced to one spherical mass, it would form a 
globe of more than 800 miles in diameter. 

With regard to its Bottom — As the sea covers so great 
a portion of the globe, we should, no doubt, by exploring 
its interior recesses, discover a vast number of interesting 
objects. So far as the bed of the ocean has been explored, 
it is found to bear a great resemblance to the surface of 
the dry land ; being, like it, full of plains, caverns, rocks, 
and mountains, some of which are abrupt and almost per- 
pendicular, while others rise with a gentle acclivity, and 
sometimes tower above the water, and form islands. The 
materials, too, which compose the bottom of the sea, are 
the same which form the basis of the dry land. It also 
resembles the land in another remarkable particular ; — - 
many fresh springs, and even rivers, rise out of it ; an in- 
stance of which occurs near Goa, on the western coast of 
Hindostan, and in the Mediterranean sea, not far from 
Marseilles. The sea sometimes assumes different colors. 
The materials which compose its bottom, cause it to reflect 
different hues in different places ; and its appearance is 
also affected by the winds and by the sun, while the clouds 
that pass over it communicate all their varied and fleeting 
colors. AYhenthe sunshines, it is green ; when he gleams 
through a fog, it is yellow ; near the poles, it is black : 
while in the torrid zone, its colour is often brown ; and. 
on certain occasions, it assumes a luminous appearance, 
as if sparkling with fire. 

The ocean has three kinds of motion. The first is that 
undulation which is produced by the wind, and which is 
entirely confined to its surface. It is now ascertained that 
this motion can be destroyed, and its surface rendered 
smooth by throwing oil upon its waves. The second mo- 
tion is that continual tendency which the whole water in 
the sea has towards the west, which is greater near the 
equator than towards the poles. It begins on the west side 
of America, where it is moderate ; but as the waters ad- 
vance westward, their motion is accelerated ; and, after 



GEOGRAPHY. 163 

having traversed the globe, they return, and strike with great 
violence on the eastern shore of America. Being stopped 
by that continent, they rush, with impetuosity, into the 
Gulf of Mexico, thence they proceed along the coast of 
North America, till thev come to the south side of the great 
bank of Newfoundland, when they turn otf and run down 
through the Western Isles. This motion is most probably 
owing to the diurnal revolution of the earth on its axis, 
which is in a direction contrary to the motion of the sea. 
The third motion of the sea is the tide, which is a regular 
swell of the ocean every 12| hours. This motion is now 
ascertained to be owing to the attractive influence of the 
moon, and also partly to that of the sun. There is always 
a flux and reflux at the same time, in two parts of the globe, 
and these are opposite to each other; so that when our An- 
tipodes have high water, we have the same. When the 
attractive powers of the sun and moon act in the same di- 
rection, which happens at the time of new and full moon, 
we have the highest or spring tides ; but when their attrac- 
tion is opposed to each other, which happens at the quar- 
ters, we have the lowest, or neap tides. 

Such is the ocean, a most stupendous scene of Omnipo- 
tence, which forms the most magnificent feature of the 
globe we inhabit. When we stand on the sea shore, and 
cast our eyes over the expanse of its waters, till the sky and 
the waves seem to mingle, all that the eye can take in at 
one survey, is but an inconsiderable speck, less than the 
hundred thousandth part of the whole of this vast abyss. li 
every drop of water can be divided into 26 millions of dis- 
tinct parts, as some philosophers have demonstrated,* what 
an immense assemblage of watery particles must be con- 
tained in the unfathomable caverns of the ocean ! Here the 
powers of calculation are completely set at defiance ; and 
an image of infinity, immensity, and endless duration is pre- 
sented to the mind. This mighty expanse of waters is the 
grand reservoir of Nature, and the source of evaporation, 
which enriches the earth with fertility and verdure. Every 
cloud which floats in the atmosphere, and every fountain and 



he demonstration of this proposition may be seen in NieUWCl 
iyt's llel. Philosopher, vol. iii. p. 852. 



164 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

rivulet, and flowing stream, are indebted to this inexhaus- 
tible source for those watery treasures which they distri- 
bute through every region of the land. In fine, whether we 
consider the ocean as rearing its tremendous billows in 
the midst of the tempest, or as stretched out into a smooth 
expanse — whether we consider its immeasurable extent, 
its mighty movements, or the innumerable beings which 
glide through its rolling waves — we cannot but be struck 
with astonishment at the grandeur of that Omnipotent Be- 
ing who holds its waters "in the hollow of his hand," and 
who has said to its foaming surges, " Hitherto shalt thou 
come, and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be 
stayed." 

Rivers. — The next feature of the earth's surface which 
may be noticed, is, the rivers with which it is indented in 
every direction. These are exceedingly numerous, and 
seem to form as essential a part in the constitution of our 
globe, as the mountains from which they flow, and as the 
ocean to which they direct their course. It is reckoned, 
that in the old continent, there are about 430 rivers, w 7 hich 
fall directly into the ocean, or into the Mediterranean, and 
the Black, seas ; but in the new continent, there are only 
about 145 rivers known, which fall directly into the sea. 
In this enumeration, however, only the great rivers are in- 
cluded, such as the Thames, the Danube, the Wolga, and 
the Rhone. Besides these, there are many thousands of 
streams of smaller dimensions, which, rising from the 
mountains, wind in every direction, till they fall into the 
large rivers, or are carried into the ocean. The largest 
rivers in Europe are — the Wolga, which, rising in the north- 
ern parts of Russia, runs a course of 1700 miles, till it 
falls into the Caspian sea—the Danube, whose course is 
1300 miles, from the mountains in Switzerland to the 
Black sea — and the Don, which runs a course of 1200 
miles. The greatest rivers in Asia are — the Hoanho, in 
China, whose course is 2400 miles— the Boorhampooter, 
the Euphrates, and the Ganges. The longest river in 
Africa, is the Nile, the course of which is estimated at 2000 
miles. In the continent of America, the rivers appear to 
be formed on the grandest scale, both as to the length of 
their course, and the vast body of waters which they pour 



GEOGRAPHY. 165 

into the ocean. The Amazon, the largest river in the 
world, runs a course of above 3000 miles across the con- 
tinent of South America, till it falls into the Atlantic ocean, 
where it discharges a body of waters 150 miles in breadth. 
Next to this is the river St. Lawrence, which is more than 
2400 miles from its mouth, through Lake Ontario to 
the lake Alempigo and the Assiniboils ; and the rivers La 
Plata and Mississippi, each of whose courses is not less 
than 2000 miles. 

When we consider the number and the magnitude of 
these majestic streams, it is evident, that an enormous 
mass of water is continually pouring into the ocean, from 
every direction. From observations which have been 
made on the river Po, which runs through Lombardy, and 
waters a tract of land 380 miles long, and 120 broad, it is 
found that it moves at the rate of four miles an hour, is 
1000 feet broad, and 10 teet in depth, and consequently, 
supplies the sea with 5068 millions of cubical feet of wa- 
ter in a day, or a cubical mile in 29 days. On the suppo- 
sition that the quantity of water which the sea receives 
from the great rivers in all countries, is proportioned to the 
extent and surface of these countries, it will follow, that 
the quantity of waters carried to the sea by all the other 
rivers on the globe, is 1083 times greater than that furnish- 
ed by the Po, (supposing the land, as formerly stated, to 
contain about 49 millions of square miles,) and will sup- 
ply the ocean with 13,630 cubical miles of water in a year. 
Now, reckoning the ocean, as formerly, to contain 296 
millions of cubical miles of water, this last number divi- 
ded by the former, will give a quotient of 21,716. Hence 
it appears, that, were the ocean completely drained of its 
waters, it Would require more than twenty thousand years* 
before its caverns could be again completely filied by all 
the rivers in the world running into it, at their present rate. 

Here, two questions will naturally occur — Whence do 



* Buffon makes this result to be 812 years, in which he is followed 
by Goldsmith, and most subsequent writers; but he proceeds on the 
false assumption, that the ocean covers only half the surface of the 
globe, and that it contains only 85 millions of square mile?, and he 
estimates the average depth of the ocean to be only 450 yards, or one- 
fourth of a mile. 



166 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

the rivers receive so constant a supply of waters ? and, 
why has not the ocean long ago overflowed the world 1 
since so prodigious a mass of water is continually flowing 
into its abyss. This was a difficulty which long puzzled 
philosophers ; but it is now satisfactorily solved, from a con- 
sideration of the effects of evaporation. By the heat of 
'the sun, particles of water are drawn up into the at* 
mosphere, from the surface of the ocean, and float in the 
air in the form of clouds or vapor. These vapors are car- 
ried by the winds over the surface of the land, and are 
again condensed into water on the tops and the sides of 
mountains, which, gliding down into their crevices and 
caverns, at length breaks out into springs, a number of 
which, meeting in one common valley, becomes a river; and 
many of these united together, at length form such streams 
as the Tay, the Thames, the Danube, and the Rhine. 
That evaporation is sufficient to account for this effect, has 
been demonstrated by many experiments and calculations. 
It is found that, from the surface of the Mediterranean Sea, 
which contains 762,000 square miles, there are drawn up 
into the air, every day, by evaporation, 5280 millions of 
tons of water, while the rivers which flow into it yield only 
1827 millions of tons, in the same time ; so that there is 
raised in vapor from the Mediterranean nearly three times 
the quantity of water which is poured into it by all its ri- 
vers. One third of this falls into the sea before it reaches 
the land ; another part falls on the low lands, for the nou- 
rishment of pjants ; and the other third part is quite suffi- 
cient to supply the sources of all the rivers which run into the 
sea. This is in full conformity to what was long ago sta- 
ted by an inspired Naturalist: "All the rivers run into the 
sea, and yet the sea is not full ; unto the place from whence 
the rivers came, thither do they return again ;" but, before 
they regain their former place, they make a circuit over 
our heads through the regions of the atmosphere. 

Such are the varied movements and transformations 
which are incessantly going on in the rivers, the ocean, and 
the atmosphere, in order to preserve the balance of nature, 
and to supply the necessities of the animal and the vegeta- 
ble tribes ; all under the agency and direction of H im who 
u formed the sea and the dry land," and who has arranged 



GEOGRAPHY. 167 

all things in number, weight, and measure, to subserve the 
purposes of his will. 

Rivers serve many important purposes in the economy 
of our globe. They carry off the redundant waters which 
fall in rains, or which ooze from springs, which might 
otherwise settle into stagnant pools ; they supply to the 
seas the loss of waters occasioned by their daily evapora- 
tion ; they cool the air, and give it a gentle circulation ; 
they fertilize the countries through which they flow ; their 
waters afford a wholesome drink, and the fishes they con- 
tain a delicious food for the nourishment of man ; they fa- 
cilitate commerce, by conveying the productions of nature 
and art from the inland countries to the sea ; they form 
mechanical powers for driving machinery of different kinds; 
they enliven and diversify the scenery of the countries 
through which they pass ; and the cataracts which they 
frequently form among the mountains, present us with 
scenes the most picturesque and sublime ; so that every 
part of the constitution of nature is rendered subservient 
both to utility and pleasure. 

Waving the consideration of other particulars, I shall 
simply state some of the artificial divisions of the earth, 
and two or three facts respecting its inhabitants. 

The land has generally been divided into four parts, Eu- 
rope, Asia, Africa, and America, to which has been lately 
added the division called Australasia, which comprehends, 
New Holland, New Guinea, New Zealand, Van Dieman's 
Land, and several other islands in the Pacific ocean. Eu- 
rope comprehends the following countries, Norway, Swe- 
den, Denmark, Russia, Prussia, Germany, Austria, Tur- 
key, Italy, Switzerland, France, Holland, or the Nether- 
lands, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain and Ireland, 
together with the islands of Sicily, Malta, Candia, Corsica, 
Sardinia, Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, Zealand, Funen, Goth- 
land, Iceland, and several others of smaller note. — Jlsia, 
the largest and most populous division of the ancient con- 
tinent, contains the empires of China and Japan, Chinese 
Tartary, Tibet, Hindostan, or British India, the Birman 
Empire, Persia, Arabia, Turkey in Asia, Siberia, Indepen- 
dent Tartary, and n variety of territories inhabited by tribes 
with which we are wry imperfectly acquainted ; together 



168 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

with the immense islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Cey* 
Ion, Segalien, the Phillipines, and thousands of others of 
smaller dimensions. It was in Asia where the human race 
was first planted ; it became the nursery of the world after 
the universal deluge, and it was the scene in which the most 
memorable transactions recorded in sacred history took 
place. But its inhabitans are now immersed in Maho- 
metan and Pagan darkness ; and the Christian religion, ex- 
cept in a few insulated spots, is almost unknown among its 
vast population. It is the richest and most fruitful part of 
the world, and produces cotton, silks, spices, tea, coffee, 
gold, silver, pearls, diamonds, and precious stones : but 
despotism, in its worst forms, reigns uncontrolled over 
every part of this immense region. 

Africa comprehends the following kingdoms— Morocco, 
Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Egypt, Zaara, Negroland, Guinea, 
Nubia, Abyssinia, CafFraria, Dahomy, Benin, Congo, An- 
gola, and various other territories. By far the greater part 
of Africa remains hitherto unexplored, and consequently 
we are possessed of a very slender portion of information 
respecting the numerous tribes that inhabit it. • This 
quarter of the world, which once contained several flou- 
rishing kingdoms and states, is now reduced to a general 
state of barbarism. That most abominable traffic, the slave 
trade, is carried on to an unlimited extent on its eastern 
coasts, by a set of European ruffians, whose villanies are 
a disgrace to human nature. Its most striking features 
are those immense deserts, near its northern parts, which 
comprise nearly one third of its surface. The deserts of 
Zaara are 1500 miles long, and 80C broad. 

America is divided into North and South. It remained 
unknown to the inhabitants of the Eastern Hemisphere till 
the year 1492, when it was discovered by Columbus, who 
first landed on Guanahani, or Cat Island, one of the Ba- 
hama isles. North America comprehends the following 
countries : The United States,. New and Old Mexico, Up- 
per and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and 
Labrador. South America comprehends the immense 
districts called Terra Firma, Peru, Guiana, Amazonia, 
Paraguay, Brazil, Chili, and Patagonia. — Between N. and 
S. America lie the islands of Cuba, St. Domingo, Jamaica, 



GEOGRAPHY. 169 

and Porto Rico, known by the name of the West Indies, 
Besides these, there are connected with America, the Ba- 
hama, and Caribbee islands, Newfoundland, Cape Bre- 
ton, Tobago, Trinidad, Terra del Fuego, &c. America is 
distinguished by its numerous and extensive lakes, which 
resemble large inland seas. Its rivers, also, form one of 
its grand and distinguishing features, being the largest on 
the globe. It is likewise diversified with lofty and exten- 
sive ranges of mountains. When first discovered, it was 
almost wholly covered with immense forests, and thinly 
peopled with a number of savage tribes. Its mingled po- 
pulation of Aborigines and Europeans, is now making ra- 
pid advances in knowledge, civilization and commerce. 

In regard to the human inhabitants that occupy the dif- 
ferent regions now specified — they have been divided by 
some geographers into the six following classes — 1. The 
dwarfish inhabitants of the polar regions ; as the Lapland- 
ers, the Greenlanders, and the Esquimaux, — 2. The flat- 
nosed olive colored tawny race ; as the Tartars, the Chi- 
nese, and the Japanese. — 3. The blacks of Asia with 
European features. Of this description are the Hindoos, 
the Birmans, and the inhabitants of the islands in the Indian 
ocean. — 4. The woolly-haired negroes of Africa, distin- 
guished by their black color, their flat noses, and their 
thick lips. — 5. The copper-colored native Americans, dis- 
tinguished likewise by their black hair, small black eyes, 
high cheek bones, and flat noses. — 6. The sixth variety is 
the white European nations^ as the British, the French, 
the Italians, and the Germans. 

The number of inhabitants which people the earth at 
one time may be estimated to amount to at least eight 
hundred millions ; of which 500 millions may be assigned 
to Asia; 80 millions to Africa ; 70 millions to America; 
and 150 millions to Europe. — With regard to their reli- 
gion, they may be estimated as follows ; — 

Pagans, . . . 490,000,000 
Mahometans, . . 130,000,000 

Roman Catholic?, . 100.000,000 

Protestants, . . 43,000,000 

< ! reeks and Armenian?, 30,000,000 

Jew* . . . 7,000.000 



16 



800,000,001) 



t 



HO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

From this estimate it appears that there are more than 
1 Pagans and Mahometans to 1 Christian, and only 1 
Protestant to 17 of all the other denominations. Although 
all the Roman Catholics, Greeks, and Protestants, were 
reckoned true Christians, there still remain more than 620 
millions of our fellow men ignorant of the true God, and 
of his will as revealed in the Sacred Scriptures ; which 
shows what a vast field of exertion still lies open to Chris- 
tian benevolence, before the blessings of civilization, men- 
tal improvement, rational liberty, and Christianity, be fully 
communicated to the Pagan and Mahometan world. 

If we suppose that the earth, at an average, has always 
been as populous as it is now, and that it contains 800 mil- 
lions of inhabitants, as above-stated, and if we reckon 32 
years for a generation, at the end of which period the 
whole human race is renewed ; it will follow, that 145 
thousand millions of human beings have existed on the 
earth since the present svstem of our globe commenced, 
reckoning 5829 years from Adam to the present time.* 
And, consequently, if mankind had never died, there would 
have been 182 times the present number of the earth's 
inhabitants now in existence. It follows from this state- 
ment, that 25 millions of mankind die every year, 2853 
every hour, and 47 every minute, and that at least an 
equal number, during these periods, are emerging from 
non-existence to the stage of life ; so that almost every 
moment, a rational and immortal being is ushered into the 
world, and another is transported to the invisible state. 
Whether, therefore, we contemplate the world of matter, 
or the world of mind, we perceive incessant changes and 



+ This calculation proceeds on the supposition, that only 4004 
years elapsed between the Mosaic Creation and the birth of Christ, 
according to the Hebrew Chronology. But Dr. Hales, in his late 
work on Scripture Chronology, has proved, almost to a demonstra- 
tion, that, from the Creation to the birth of Christ are to be reck- 
oned 5411 years; and this computation nearly agrees with the Sa- 
maritan and Septuagint Chronology, and with that of Josephus. 
According to this computation. 7235 years are to be reckoned from 
the Creation to the present time ; and, consequently, 220 thousand 
millions of human beings will have existed since the Creation, 
which is more than 226 times the number of inhabitants presently 
Existing. 



GEOGRAPHY. 17} 

revolutions going on, which are gradually carrying for* 
ward the earth and its inhabitants to some important con- 
summation. — If we suppose that, before the close of time, 
as many human beings will be brought into existence, as 
have already existed, during the by-past ages of the world, 
there will, of course, be found at the general resurrection* 
290,000,000,000 of mankind. Vast as such an assem- 
blage would be, the whole of the human beings here sup- 
posed, allowing 6 square feet for every individual, could 
be assembled within the space of 62,400 square miles, or 
on a tract of land not much larger than that of England, 
which contains, according to the most accurate calcula- 
tion, above 50,000 square miles. 

Our world is capable of sustaining a much greater num- 
ber of inhabitants than has ever yet existed upon it at any 
one time. And since we are- informed in the Sacred Ora- 
cles, that God " created it not in vain, but formed it to bt 
inhabited," we have reason to believe, that, in future ages, 
when the physical and moral energies of mankind shall be 
fully exerted, and when Peace shall wave her olive branch 
over the nations, the earth will be much more populous than 
it has ever been, and those immense deserts, where rave- 
nous animals now roam undisturbed, will be transformed 
into scenes of fertility and beauty. If it be admitted, that 
the produce of 12 acres of land is sufficient to maintain a 
family consisting of six persons, and if we reckon only one- 
fourth of the surface of the globe capable of cultivation, 
it can be proved that the earth could afford sustenance foi 
16,000 millions of inhabitants, or twenty times the number 
that is presently supposed to exist. So that we have no 
reason to fear that the world will be overstocked with in- 
habitants for many ages to come ; or that a period may 
soon arrive when the increase of population will surpass 
the means of subsistence, as some of the disciples of Mal- 
thas have lately insinuated. To suppose, as some of these 
gentlemen seem to do, that wars and diseases, poverty and 
pestilence, are necessary evils, in order to prevent the in- 
crease of the human race beyond the means of subsist- 
ence which nature can afford — while the immense regions 
of New Holland, New Guinea, Borneo, and the greatei 
part of Africa and America, are almost destitute of inha 



172 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

bitants — is both an insult on the dignity of human nature, 
and a reflection on the wisdom and beneficence of Divine 
Providence. The Creator is benevolent and bountiful, 
and " his tender mercies are over all his works;" but man. 
by his tyranny, ambition, and selfishness, has counteracted 
the streams of Divine beneficence, and introduced into the 
social state, poverty, disorder, and misery, with all their 
attendant train of evils ; and it is not before such demo- 
ralizing principles are in some measure eradicated, and the 
principles of Christian benevolence brought into active 
operation, that the social state of man will be greatly me- 
liorated, and the bounties of heaven fully enjoyed by the 
human race. If, in the present deranged state of the so- 
cial and political world, it be found difficult, in any par- 
ticular country to find sustenance for its inhabitants, emi- 
gration is the obvious and natural remedy ; and the rapid 
emigrations which are now taking place to the Cape of 
Good Hope, New Holland, Van Dieman's Land, and 
America, are, doubtless, a part of those arrangements of 
Providence, by which the Creator will accomplish his de- 
signs, in peopling the desolate wastes of our globe, and 
promoting the progress of knowledge and of true religion 
among the scattered tribes of mankind. 



With that branch of knowledge to which I have now ad- 
verted, every individual of the human race ought to be in 
some measure acquainted. For it is unworthy the dig- 
nity of a rational being, to stalk abroad on the surface of 
the earth, and enjoy the bounty of his Creator, without 
considering the nature and extent of his sublunary habita- 
tion, the variety of august objects it contains, the relation 
in which he stands to other tribes of intelligent agents, and 
the wonderful machinery which is in constant operation for 
supplying his wants, and for producing the revolutions of 
day and night, spring and autumn, summer and winter. — 
In' a religious point of view, Geography is a science of pe- 
culiar interest. For "the salvation of God," which Chris- 
tianity unfolds, is destined to be proclaimed in every land, 
in order that men of all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, 
may participate in its blessings. But, without exploring 



GEOGRAPHY. 173 

every region of the earth, and the numerous islands which 
are scattered over the surface of the ocean, and opening 
up a regular intercourse with the different tribes of human 
beings which dwell upon its surface, we can never carry 
into effect the purpose of God, by " making known his 
salvation to the ends of the earth." — As God has ordained, 
that " all flesh shall see the salvation" he has accomplish- 
ed, and that human beings shall be the agents for carrying 
his designs into effect — so, we may rest assured, that 
he has ordained means requisite for accomplishing this 
end ; and, consequently, that it is his will that men should 
study the figure and magnitude of the earth, and all those 
arts by which they may be enabled to traverse and explore the 
different regions of land and water, which compose the 
terraqueous globe — and that it is also his will, that every 
one who feels an interest in the present and eternal happi- 
ness of his fellow-men, should make himself acquainted 
with the result of all the discoveries in this science that 
have been, or may yet be made, in order to stimulate 
his activity in conveying to the wretched sons of Adam, 
wherever they may be found, " the unsearchable riches of 
Christ." 

To the Missionary, and the Directors of Bible and Mis- 
sionary Societies, a minute and comprehensive knowledge 
of this science, and of all the facts connected with it, is es- 
sentially requisite ; without which they would often grope 
in the dark, and spend their money in vain, and " their la- 
bor for that which doth not profit." They must be inti- 
mately acquainted with the extensive field of operation 
which lies before them, and with the physical, the moral, 
and the political state of the different tribes to which they 
intend to send the message of salvation ; otherwise, their 
exertions will be made at random, and their schemes be 
conducted without judgment or discrimination. To at- 
tempt to direct the movements of Missionary Societies, 
without an intimate knowledge of this subject, is as fool- 
ish and absurd as it would be for a land-surveyor to lay 
down plans for the improvement of a gentleman's estate, 
before he had surveyed the premises, and made himself 
acquainted with the objects upon them, in their various 
aspects, positions, and bearings. If all those who direct 

15* 



174 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and support the operations of such societies, were famili- 
arly acquainted with the different fields for missionary ex- 
ertion, and with the peculiar state and character of the di- 
versified tribes of the heathen world, so far as they are 
known, injudicious schemes might be frustrated before 
they are carried into effect, and the funds of such institu- 
tions preserved from being wasted to no purpose. In this 
view, it is the duty of every Christian to mark the progress 
and the results of the various geographical expeditions 
which are now going forward in quest of discoveries, in 
connection with the moral and political movements which 
are presently agitating the nations : for every navigator, 
who ploughs the ocean in search of new islands and conti- 
nents, and every traveller who explores the interior of 
unknown countries, should be considered as a pio- 
neer, sent beforehand, by Divine Providence, to prepare 
the way for the labors of the missionary, and for the com- 
bined exertions of Christian benevolence.* 

But even to every private Christian, Geography is an 
interesting branch of study, without some knowledge of 
which, his prayers and his Christian sympathies cannot be 
judiciously and extensively directed. We occasionally 
hear the ministers of religion at the commencement *>f 
public worship, on the first day of the week, imploring the 
Divine blessing on their brethren throughout the Christian 
church, who are commencing the same exercises ; and, at 



+ On this subject, the Author feels great pleasure in referring his 
readers to a sttiall volume, lately published, by James Douglas, Esq. 
of Cavers, entitled, w Hints on Missions,' 1 — a work which deserves the 
attentive perusal, both of the philosopher, the politician, and the 
Christian, and particularly of the Directors of Missionary Societies ; 
and which is characterized by a spirit of enlightened philanthropy, and 
a condensation of thought^ which has seldom been equalled in the 
discussion of such topics. It concentrates, as it were, into a focus, 
the light which has been reflected from hundreds of volumes ; and 
the original hints it suggests, claim the serious consideration of the 
superintendents of missionary schemes ; without an attention to some 
of which, the beneficial effects resulting from such undertakings will 
be few and unimportant. — Should this note happen to strike the eye 
of the worthy Author, it is submitted, with all deference, whether a 
more extensive circulation of the substance of this volume, in a less 
expensive form, and with a few modifications, to bring it within the 
range of thought possessed by general readers, would not have a 
tendency to promote its benevolent objects. 



GEOGRAPHY. 175 

the close of worship in the afternoon, that the same bless- 
ing may seal the instructions which have been delivered in 
all the churches of the saints ; as if all the public religious 
services of the universal church were, at that moment, 
drawing to a close. This is all very well, so far as it 
goes : the expression of such benevolent wishes is highly 
becoming, and congenial to the spirit of Christianity. 
But a very slight acquaintance with geographical science 
will teach us, that, when we in this country are commen- 
cing the religious services of the first day of the week, our 
Christian brethren in the East Indies, who live under a 
very different meridian, have finished theirs ; those in Rus- 
sia, Poland, Greece, Palestine, and on the banks of the 
Caspian Sea, have performed one half of their public reli- 
gious worship and instructions ; and those in New Holland 
and Van Dieman's Land, have retired to rest at the close 
of their Sabbath. On the other hand our friends in the 
West India Islands, and in America, at the close of our 
worship, are only about to commence the public instruc- 
tions of the Christian Sabbath. If, then, it be admitted, 
that our prayers in certain cases ought to be specific, to 
have a reference to the particular cases and relations of 
certain classes of individuals, there can be no valid reason 
assigned, why they should not have a reference to the geo- 
graphical positions of the different portions of the Christian 
church, as well as to those who live on, or near, our own 
meridian : that, for example, in the beginning of our pub- 
lic devotions, we might implore that the blessing of God 
may accompany the instructions which have been delivered 
in the Eastern part of the world ; and, at the close of 
worship, that the same agency may direct the exercises of 
those in the Western hemisphere, who are about to enter 
on the sacred services of that day. On the same princi- 
ple, we may perceive the absurdity of those " concerts" 
for prayer in different places at the same hoar, which were 
lately proposed and attempted by a certain portion of the 
religious world. Even within the limits of Europe, this 
could not be attempted, with the prospect of Christians 
joining in devotion at one and the same time ; for, when it 
is six o'clock in one part of Europe, it is eight at another, 
and five o'clock at a third place ; much less could such a 



176 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

concert take place throughout Europe, Asia, and America. 
So that science, and a calm consideration of the nature 
and relations of things, may teach us to preserve our devo- 
tional fervor and zeal within the bounds of reason and 
propriety ; and, at the same time, direct our reflections 
and our Christian sympathies, to take a wider range than 
that to which they are usually confined. 

Besides the considerations now suggested, a serious 
contemplation of the physical objects and movements 
which this science exhibits, has a tendency to excite pious 
and reverential emotions. To contemplate this huge globe 
of land and water, flying with rapidity, through the voids of 
space, conveying its vast population from one region to 
another, at the rate of fifteen hundred thousand miles in a 
day, and whirling round its axis at the same time, to pro- 
duce the constant succession of day and night, — to con- 
template the lofty ridges of mountains that stretch around 
it in every direction ; the flaming volcanoes ; the roaring 
cataracts ; the numerous rivers, incessantly rolling their 
watery treasures into the seas ; the majestic ocean, and 
its unfathomable caverns ; the vapors rising from its sur- 
face, and replenishing the springs and rivers ; the Ava- 
lanche hurling down the mountain's side with a noise like 
thunder ; the luxuriant plains of the torrid zone ; the rug- 
ged cliffs and icebergs of the polar regions ; and thousands 
of other objects of diversified beauty and sublimity, — has 
an evident tendency to expand the conceptions of the hu- 
man mind, to increase its sources of animal enjoyment, 
and to elevate the affections to that All-Powerful Being 
who gave birth to all the sublimities of Nature, and who 
incessantly superintends all its movements. 

In fine, from the numerous moral facts which Geogra- 
phy unfolds, we learn the vast depth and extent of that moral 
degradation into which the human race has falien — the 
ferocious tempers, and immoral practices, which are dis- 
played in the regions of Pagan idolatry — the horrid cruel- 
ties and vile abominations that are daily perpetrated un- 
der the sanction of what is termed religion — the wide ex- 
tent of population, over which the prince of darkness 
sways his sceptre— the difficulties which require to be sur- 
mounted before the " Gospel of salvation" can extend its 



GEOLOGY. 177 

full influence throughout the Pagan world — and the vasl 
energies which are requisite to accomplish this glorious 
event. All these portions of information are calculated to 
confirm and illustrate the Scriptural doctrine of the uni- 
versal depravity of man — to exercise the faith of the 
Christian, on the promises of Jehovah, in reference to the 
conversion of the benighted nations — to rouse his sympa- 
thies towards his degraded brethren of mankind, to excite 
his intercessions in their behalf, and to direct his benevo- 
lence and activity, in devising and executing schemes for 
enlightening the people who are sitting " in darkness, and 
in the shadow of death." 

GEOLOGY. 

Another subject, intimately related to the former, is the 
science of Geology. 

This science has for its object, to investigate and de- 
scribe the internal structure of the earth, the arrangement 
of the materials of which it is composed, the circumstances 
peculiar to its original formation, the different states under 
which it has existed, and the various changes which it ap- 
pears to have undergone since the Almighty created the 
substance of which it is composed. From a consideration 
of the vast quantity of materials contained in the internal 
structure of our globe, and of the limited extent to which 
men can carry their operations when they attempt to pe- 
netrate into its bowels, it is obvious that our knowledge 
of this subject must be very shallow and imperfect. The 
observations, however, which have been made on the 
structure of our globe during the last half century, and the 
conclusions deduced from them, are highly interesting, 
both to the philosopher and to the Christian. Before the 
facts, on which this branch of Naturr.1 History is founded, 
were accurately ascertained, a variety of objections to the 
Mosaic History of the creation were started by certain 
sceptical philosophers, founded on partial and erroneous 
views of the real structure and economy of the earth. 
But it is now found, that the more accurately and minutely 
the system of nature is explored, the more distinctly do we 
perceive the harmony that subsists between the records of 
Revelation and the operations of the Creator, in the mate 



178 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSPHER. 

4*ial world. If both be admitted as the effects of the agen- 
cy of the same Almighty and Eternal Being, they must, in 
the nature of things, completely harmonize, and can never 
be repugnant to each other — whether we are capable, in 
every instance, of perceiving their complete coincidence; 
or not. If any facts could be produced in the visible crea- 
tion which directly contradict the records of the Bible, it 
would form a proof that the oracles, which we hold as Di- 
vine, were not dictated by the Creator and Governor of the 
universe. But, although some garbled facts have been 
triumphantly exhibited in this view, it is now ascertained, 
from tRe discoveries which have been lately made in rela- 
tion to the structure and formation of the earth, that the 
truth of the facts detailed in Sacred History, rests on a so- 
lid and immutable basis ; and that the Supreme Intelligence 
who arranged the fabric of heaven and earth, and he alone, 
communicated to the inspired writers the doctrines, and 
the facts they have recorded ; and we have reason to be- 
lieve, that as Geologists proceed in their researches and 
investigations, still more sensible proofs of the authenticity 
of Revelation will be brought to light. 

Geology has, of late, become an interesting subject of 
inquiry to the student of general science, and is now pro- 
secuted with ardor by many distinguished philosophers, 
The observations which have been made in various parts 
of the world, by late navigators ; the facts which have 
been ascertained by Palias, Saussure, De Luc, Humboldt, 
and other intelligent travellers; and the discoveries which 
have been brought to light by modern chemists and mine- 
ralogists, have all conspired to facilitate Geological inqui- 
ries, to render them more enlightened and satisfactory, and 
to prepare the way for future ages establishing a rational, 
scriptural, and substantial theory of the earth. The man 
who engages in such inquiries has always at hand a source 
of rational investigation and enjoyment. The ground on 
which he treads— the aspect of the surrounding country— 
the mines, the caves, and the quarries which he explores — 
every new country in which he travels, every mountain he 
climbs, and every new surface of the earth that is laid 
open to his inspection, ofTers to him novel and interesting 
stores of information. On descending into mines, we are 



GEOLOGY. 179 

not only gratified by displays of human ingenuity, but we 
also acquire views of the strata of the earth, and of there- 
volutions it has undergone since the period of its formation. 
Our researches on the surface of the earth, amidst abrupt 
precipices and lofty mountains, introduce us to the grand- 
est and most sublime works of the Creator, and present to 
our view the effects of stupendous forces, which have over- 
turned mountains, and rent the foundations of nature. " In 
the midst of such scenes, the Geologist feels his mind in- 
vigorated; the magnitude of the appearances before him 
extinguishes all the little and contracted notions he may 
have formed in the closet ; and he learns, that it is only by 
visiting and studying those stupendous works, that he can 
form an adequate conception of the great relations of the 
crust of the globe, and of its mode of formation."* 

The upper crust, or surface of the earth, is found to be 
composed of different strata, or beds, placed one above 
another. These strata, or layers, are very much mixed, 
and their direction, matter, thickness, and relative position, 
vary considerably in different places. These strata are di- 
vided into seven classes, as follows : — black earth, clay, 
sandy earth, marl, bog, chalk, and scabeous or stony earth. 
The surface of the globe, considered in relation to its ine- 
qualities, is divided into Highland, Lowland, and the Bot- 
tom of the sea. Highland comprises Alpine land, composed 
of mountain groups, or series of mountain chains. Low- 
land comprises those extensive flat tracts which are almost 
entirely destitute of small mountain groups. To the Bot- 
tom of the sea belong the flat, the rocky bottom, shoals, 
reefs, and islands. 

At first sight, the solid mass of the earth appears to be 
a confused assemblage of rocky masses, piled on each other 
without regularity or order, where none of those admirable 
displays of skill and contrivance are to be observed, which 
so powerfully excite attention in the structure of animals 
ind vegetables. But, on a nearer and more intimate view, 
a variety of beautiful arrangements have been traced by the 
industry of Geologists, and the light of modern discoveries; 
by which they have been enabled to classify these apparent 

*- Edinburgh Encyclo, Art. Mineralogy. 



ISO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

irregularities of nature. The materials of which the solid 
crust of the earth is composed, have been arranged into the 
four following classes : — 1. Those rocks which contain 
neither animal nor vegetable remains themselves, nor 
are intermixed with rocks which do contain them, and are 
therefore termed Primitive^ or Primary rocks ; the period 
of whose formation is considered as antecedent to that of 
the creation of organic beings. These are granite, gneiss, 
mica slate, and clay slate, which occur abundantly in all 
regions of the globe, with quartz rock, serpentine, granular 
limestone, &c. which occur more sparingly. — 2. Rocks 
containing organic remains, or generally associated with 
other rocks in which such substances are found, and which, 
as having been formed posterior to the existence of orga- 
nized beings, are termed Secondary. These are grey wacke, 
sandstone, limestone, and gypsum of various kinds, slate 
clay, with certain species of (rap ; and they are found ly- 
ing above the primary or older rocks. — 3. Above these se- 
condary rocks, beds of gravel, sand, earth, and moss, are 
found, which have been termed Alluvial rocks, or Fomia- 
tions. This class comprehends those rocky substances 
formed from previously existing rocks, of which the mate- 
rials have been broken down by the agency of water and 
air ; they are therefore generally loose in their texture, and 
are never covered with any real solid and rocky secondary 
strata. — 4. Volcanic rocks ; under which class are com- 
prehended all those rocks, beds of lava, scorise, and other 
matter, thrown out at certain points of the earth's surface 
by the action of subterraneous fire. 

" The phenomena of Geology show, that the original 
formation of rocks has been accompanied, in nearly all 
its stages, by a process of waste, decay, and recomposition. 
The rocks, as they were successively deposited, were acted 
upon by air and water, heat, &c. broken into fragments, 
©r worn down into grains, out of which new strata were 
formed. Even the newer secondary rocks, since their con- 
solidation, have been subject to great changes, of which 
very distinct monuments remain. Thus, we have single 
mountains, which, from their structure, can be considered 
only as remnants of great formations, or of great conti- 
nents, no longer in existence. Mount Meisner. in Hesse.; 



GEOLOGY. 181 

six miles long, and three broad, rises about 1800 feet 
above its base, and 2100 above the sea, overtopping all the 
neighbouring hills for 40 or 50 miles round. The lowest 
part of the mountain consists of the same shell, limestone, 
and sandstone, which exist in the adjacent country. Above 
these are, first, abed of sand, then a bed of fossil wood 100 
feet thick at some points, and the whole is covered by a 
mass of basalt, 500 feet in height. On considering these 
facts, it is impossible to avoid concluding, that this moun- 
tain, which now overtops the neighbouring country, occu- 
pied at one time the bottom of a cavity in the midst of 
higher lands. The vast mass of fossil wood could not all 
have grown there, but must have been transported by wa- 
ter from a more elevated surface, and lodged in what was 
then a hollow. The basalt which covers the wood must 
also have flowed in a current from a higher site ; but the 
soil over which both the wood and the basalt passed, has been 
swept away, leaving this mountain as a solitary memorial 
to attest its existence. Thus, also, on the side of Mount 
Jura, next the Alps, where no other mountain interposes, 
there are found vast blocks of granite (some of 1000 cu- 
bic yards) at the height of more than 2000 feet above the 
Lake of Geneva. These blocks are foreign to the rocks 
among which they lie, and have evidently come from the 
opposite chain of the Alps ; but the land which constituted 
the inclined plane over which they were rolled or transport- 
ed, has been worn away, and the valley of lower Switzer- 
land, with its lakes, now occupies its place. Transported 
masses of primitive rocks of the same description are found 
scattered over the north of Germany, which Von Buch as- 
certained by their characters to belong to the mountains 
of Scandinavia ; and which, therefore, carry us back to a 
period when an elevated continent, occupying the basin of 
the Baltic, connected Saxony with Norway." — Supp. to 
Ency. Brit. vol. 6. 

The production of a bed for vegetation is effected by the 
decomposition of rocks. This decomposition is effected 
by the expansion of water in the pores or fissures of rocks, 
by heat or congelation — by the solvent power of moisture 
— and by electricity, which is known to be a powerful 
agent of decomposition. As soon as the rock begins to 

10 



182 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

be softened, the seeds of lichens, which are constantly 
floating in the air, make it their resting place. Their gene- 
rations occupy it till a finely divided earth is formed, 
which becomes capable of supporting mosses and heath ; 
acted upon by light and heat, these plants imbibe the dew, 
and convert constituent parts of the air into nourishment. 
Their death and decay afford food for a more perfect spe- 
cies of vegetable ; and at length a mould is formed, in 
which even the trees of the forest can fix their roots, and 
which is capable of rewarding the labors of the cultivator. 
The decomposition of rocks tends to the renovation of 
soils, as well as their cultivation. Finely divided matter is 
carried by rivers from the higher districts to the low coun- 
tries, and alluvial lands are usually extremely fertile. By 
these operations, the quantity of habitable surface is con- 
stantly increased ; precipitous cliffs are gradually made 
gentle slopes, lakes are filled up, and islands are formed 
at the mouths of great rivers ; so that as the world grows 
older, its capacity for containing an increased number of 
inhabitants is gradually enlarging. 

Of all the memorials of the past history of our globe, 
the most interesting are those myriads of remains of or- 
ganized bodies which exist in the interior of its outer crusts. 
In these, we find traces of innumerable orders of beings 
existing under different circumstances, succeeding one an- 
other at distant epochs, and varying through multiplied 
changes of form. " If we examine the secondary rocks, 
beginning with the most ancient, the first organic remains 
which present themselves, are those of aquatic plants and 
large reeds, but of species different from ours. To these 
succeed madrepores, encrenities, and other aquatic zooph- 
ites, living beings of the simplest forms, which remain at- 
tached to one spot, and partake in some degree of the 
nature of vegetables. Posterior to these, are ammonites, 
and other mollusci, still very simple in their forms, and en- 
tirely different from any animals now known. After these, 
some fishes appear ; and plants, consisting of bamboos and 
ferns, increase, but still different from those which exist. 
In the next period, along with an increasing number of ex- 
tinct species of shells and fishes, we meet with amphibi- 
ous and viviparous quadrupeds, such as crocodiles and tor- 



GEOLOGY. 183 

loises, and some reptiles, as serpents, which show that dry 
land now existed. As we approach the newest of the 
solid rock formations, we find lamantins,phoca?, and other 
cetaceous and raammiferous sea animals, with some birds. 
And in the newest of these formations, we find the re- 
mains of herbiferous land animals of extinct species, the 
paleotherium, anaplotherium, &c. and of birds, with some 
fresh water shells. In the lowest beds of loose soil, and 
in peat bogs, are found the remains of the elephant, rhino- 
ceros, hippopotamus, elk, &c. of different species from 
those which now exist, but belonging to the same genera. 
Lastly, the bones of the species which are apparently the 
same with those now existing alive, are never found except 
in the very latest alluvial depositions, or those which are 
either formed in the sides of the rivers, the bottoms of an- 
cient lakes and marshes now dried up, in peat beds, in the 
fissures and caverns of certain rocks, or at small depths 
below the present surface, in places where they may have 
been overwhelmed by debris, or even buried by man. Hu- 
man bones are never found except among those of animal 
species now living, and in situations which show that they 
have been, comparatively speaking, recently deposited." 
Supp. to Ency. Brit. vol. 6. 

More than thirty different species of animals have been 
found embedded in the secondary strata — no living exam- 
ples of which are now io be found in any quarter of the 
globe. Among the most remarkable of these are the fol- 
lowing. — 1. The Mammoth, which bears a certain resem- 
blance to the Elephant, but is much larger, and differs con- 
siderably in the size and form of the tusks, jaws and grind- 
ers. The fossil remains of this animal are more abundant 
in Siberia than in ^ther countries ; there being scarcely a 
spot, from the nvei Don to Kamtschatka, in which they 
have not been found. Not only single bones and perfect 
skeletons of this animal are frequently to be met with ; but, 
in a late instance, the whole animal was found preserved in 
ice. This animal was discovered on the banks of the fro- 
zen ocean, near the mouth of the river Jena, in 1799 ; and 
in 1805, Mr. Adams got it conveyed over a space of 7000 
miles to Petersburgh, where it is deposited in the Museum. 
The flesh, skin, and hair were completely preserved, and 



184 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

even the eyes were entire. It was provided with a long 
mane, and the body was covered with hair. This hair was 
of different qualities. There were stiff black bristles from 
12 to 15 inches long, and these belonged to the tail, mane, 
and ears. Other bristles were from 9 to 10 inches long, 
and of a brown color ; and besides these, there was a 
coarse wool, from 4 to 5 inches long, of a pale yellow color. 
This mammoth was a male : it measured 9 feet 4 inches 
in height, and was 16 feet 4 inches long, without including 
the tusks. The tusks, measuring along the curve, are 9 
feet 6 inches ; and the two together weigh 360 lbs. avoir- 
dupois. The head alone without the tusks, weighs 41 4 lbs. 
avoirdupois. The remains of this animal have been found 
likewise in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, England, and in 
many places through the continent onwards to the Arctic 
ocean. 

2. The Megatherium. A complete skeleton of this 
colossal species was found in diluvial soil, near Buenos 
x\yres, and sent to Madrid. The specimen is 14 feet 
long, and 7 Spanish feet in height. 

3. The great Mastodon of the Ohio. This species ap- 
pears to have been as tall as the elephant, but with longer 
and thicker limbs. It had tusks like the elephant, and ap- 
pears to have lived on roots. Its remains abound in Ame- 
rica, particularly on the banks of the Ohio. 

4. The Tapir, which also abounds in America. The 
one named Gigantic Tapir, is about 18 feet long, and 12 
feet high. 

5. The Irish Elk, or Elk of the Isle of Man. This 
gigantic species, now apparently extinct, occurs in a fossil 
state, in Ireland, Isle of Man, England, Germany and 
France. The most perfect specimen of this species, 
which was found in the Isle of Man, may be seen in the 
Museum of the Universitv of Edinburgh. It is 6 feet 
high, 9 feet long, and in height to the tip of the right horn, 
9 feet 1\ inches. An engraving of this skeleton may be 
seen in vol. 6th of Supp. to Ency. Brit. 

From a consideration of the phenomena above de- 
scribed, Geologists have been led to conclude, " that rocks 
now buried at a great depth, constituted, at one time, the 
surface of continents, and the seat of organic life ; and 
that many orders of beings have been called into exist- 



GEOLOGY. 185 

once, and afterwards destroyed by great revolutions, 
which introduced new classes of mineral deposites, ac- 
companied with nesv tribes of organic beings." It has 
also been concluded by some, that the appearance of Man 
upon the face of the globe, is, geologically speaking, a very 
recent event; before which the earth had been inhabited 
thousands of years by variuos families of plants and tribes of 
animals, which had been destroyed and renewed in a long 
series of successions. Whether these conclusions be ne- 
cessary inferences from the phenomena of organic remains, 
and other geological facts, I shall not at present stop to 
inquire. It is sufficient for the Christian Philosopher to 
show, that, though they should be admitted in their full ex- 
tent, they are not inconsistent with the records of Sacred 
History, as some Divines have been disposed to maintain. 
Though it could be proved to a demonstration, that the 
materials of which the present system of our globe is 
composed, have existed for millions of years, it would 
not in the least invalidate the Mosaic account of the 
arrangement of our world. For Moses no where affirms 
that the materials, or substance of the earth, were created, 
or brought from nothing into existence, at the period 
when his history commences. His language, on the con- 
trary, evidently implies that the materials which enter into 
the constitution of our globe did exist, at the epoch at 
which he commences his narration. " The earth was 
without form, and void ; and darkness wasupon the face of 
the deep." This passage plainly implies the following 
things. — 1. That the original atoms, or materials, out of 
which the terraqueous globe, in its present state, was 
formed, were then in existence, or had been previously 
created. How long they had been in existence, is not 
stated. We may suppose them to have existed for a year, 
a thousand years, or a million of years, just as geological 
phenomena seem to warrant, without in the least invalida- 
ting the authority of the Sacred Historian, who states 
nothing contrary to the truth of either supposition. 2. 
That the materials of our globe, as then existing, were in 
a chaotic state. Instead of that order and beauty which 
we perceive on the face of nature, the whole mass pre- 
sented a scene of confusion and disorder — such a scene, 

16* 



186 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

perhaps, as would be presented were the earth stripped of 
its verdure, were its strata universally disrupted, its moun- 
tains hurled into the plains, and its rivers and seas, by 
some terrible convulsion, to forsake their ancient channels. 
3. The passage seems to imply that the whole, or the 
greater portion of the earth, as it then existed, was cover- 
ed with a deluge of water : " Darkness covered the face 
of the deep," or the abyss. 

Such was the state of the terrestrial system at the period 
when Moses commences his narration ; no intimation be- 
ing given of the period of its duration in this condition; and 
consequently, nothing asserted to militate against any geo- 
logical system which is founded on the facts which have 
been discovered respecting the organic remains which are 
found in the strata of our globe. It is a mistake into 
which too many have been apt to fail, to suppose that 
Moses begins his history at the period when the first por- 
tions of material existence were created out of nothing ; 
and that it was his design to mark the precise epoch when 
the whole assemblage of created beings throughout the 
universe was brought into existence. His primary, if not 
his sole intention evidently was, to detail the progress of 
those arrangements by which the earth was gradually re- 
duced to that form and order in which we now behold it, 
from the chaotic materials which previously existed. And. 
as an emphatic and appropriate introduction to his narra- 
tion, he states this important truth : " In the beginning 
God created the heaven and the earth." This passage, 
being of a general and comprehensive nature, decides no- 
thing with regard to the period or precise epoch at which 
the different bodies in the universe were called into being ; 
but is evidently intended to convey the following important 
truth, in opposition to all fanciful, chimerical, and atheisti- 
cal notions respecting the origin of the world ; namely. 
" That at what period soever, in the lapse of duration, any 
object was brought into existence, it derived that existence 
from the God of Israel, the self-existent and Eternal Jeho- 
vah." " In the beginning God created the heaven and 
the earth." As the language of the Sacred Historian, 
therefore, decides nothing with regard to time — to limit the 
creation of every portion of the material system within the 



GEOLOGY. 187 

period of 6000 years, is to make an unnecessary conces- 
sion to the infidel philosopher, vhich may afterwards be 
found inconsistent with certa'.j facts which exist in the 
material world. 

But whatever may be said with respect to the state and 
duration of the earth prior to the period at which Moses 
commences his narration, it is admitted by every geolo- 
gist, that our globe, as to its present form and arrange- 
ment, has been, comparatively, of but short duration. Cu- 
vier, one of the most enlightened geologists of the age, 
deduces, from certain progressive changes on the earth's 
surface, as well as from the concurrent traditions of many 
nations, that the first appearance of man upon the face of 
the globe, or at least, the renewal of the human race after 
some great catastrophe, cannot be referred to a period 
farther back than about 5000, or 6000 years from the pre- 
sent time. Geologists, too, of every description, however 
different the systems or theories they have adopted, have 
all been constrained, from the evidence of fact, to admit 
this conclusion, " Thai every part of the dry land was 
once covered by the ocean ;" thus confirming the scriptural 
account of that stupendous event, the universal deluge. 
This event, from its very nature, must have been accom- 
panied with the most terrible convulsion, both on the exte- 
rior surface, and in the interior strata of the globe. Ac- 
cordingly we find that traces of this awful catastrophe ex- 
ist in every region of the earth. Mr. Parkinson describes 
the whole island of Great Britain, as having since its com- 
pletion, " suffered considerable disturbance from some pro- 
digious and mysterious power. By this power all the 
known strata to the greatest depths that have been ex- 
plored, have been more or less broken and displaced, and, 
in some places, have been so lifted, that some of the lowest 
of them have been raised to the surface ; while portions of 
others, to a very considerable depth and extent, have been 
entirely carried away." The whole of the Alpine region 
m Switzerland, and the north of Italy, considered as one 
mass, shows the most evident marks of dislocation. At 
the height of 3500 feet above the level of the sea, M. 
Saussure met with a chasm a hundred feet wide, and so 
deep that he saw no bottom. All travellers on the Alps 



188 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

have regarded them with horror. They mark the most 
evident convulsions, but show no signs of having been oc- 
casioned by attrition. Mr. Townsend, speaking of the 
Pyrenees, which he personally inspected, says, " What is 
most remarkable is, to see four enormous chasms almost 
perpendicular, which divide both mountains, and their 
valleys, and which appear as if they had just been rent 
asunder." Throughout the ranges of the Andes, and in 
every other mountainous region, similar chasms and dis- 
ruptions, indicating the former operation of some tremen- 
dous power, are frequently observed by those who visit 
such scenes of grandeur. In some of the coal mines in 
our own country, the coal is in some places lifted up, or 
thrown down, several hundreds of feet from the places it 
appears originally to have occupied. " Two miles north 
of Newcastle," says Mr. Townsend, " one great dyke or 
fault throws down the coal 540 feet — at the distance of 3 
miles, it is cut off and thrown down again 240 feet." 

An evidence of the effects which could be produced 
only by a general deluge, is also afforded by those organic 
remains to which I have already adverted, and particularly 
by those immense quantities of marine shells, which have 
been discovered in situations so elevated, and in places so 
far removed from the sea, as to prove that they were left 
there by a flood extending over the whole globe. In Tou- 
raine in France, a hundred miles from the sea, is a bed of 
shells stretching 9 leagues in extent, and 20 feet in depth, 
and including shells not known to belong to the neighbor- 
ing sea. Humboldt found sea shells on the Andes at an 
elevation of 14,120 feet above the level of the sea. The 
^laty mountain of La Bolca, near Yerona, is famous for 
petrifactions, among which are enumerated more than one 
hundred species of fish, natives of Europe, Asia, Africa, 
and America, here assembled in one place. 

It appears, therefore, that the researches of Geology 
confirm the fact of an universal deluge, and thus afford -a 
sensible proof of the credibility of the Sacred Historian, 
and, consequently, of the truth of the doctrines of Divine 
Revelation. But, besides the testimony which this science 
bears to the authenticity of Scripture History, it exhibits 
some of the grandest objects in the history of the physical 



GEOLOGY, 189 

operations of Divine Providence. It presents to our view 3 
in a most impressive form, the majestic agency of God, in 
convulsing and disarranging the structure of our globe, 
which at first sprung from his hand in perfect order and 
beauty. When we contemplate the objects which this sci- 
ence embraces, we seem to be standing on the ruins of 
a former world. We behold " hills" which " have melted 
like wax at the presence of the Lord," and " mountains" 
which " have been carried into the midst of the sea." 
We behold rocks of enormous size, which have been rent 
from their foundations, and rolled from one continent to 
another — the most solid strata of the earth bent under the 
action of some tremendous power, and dispersed in frag- 
ments through the surrounding regions. We behold the 
summits of lofty mountains, over which the ocean had 
rolled its mighty billows — confounding lands and seas in 
one universal devastation — transporting plants and forests 
from one quarter of the world to another, and spreading 
universal destruction among the animated inhabitants of 
the waters and the earth. When we enter the wild and 
romantic scenery of a mountainous country, or descend into 
the subterraneous regions of the globe, we are every where 
struck with the vestiges of operations carried on by the 
powers of Nature, upon a scale of prodigious magnitude, 
and with the exertion of forces, the stupendous nature of 
which astonishes and overpowers the mind. Contempla- 
ting such scenes of grandeur, we perceive the force and 
sublimity of those descriptions of Deity contained in the 
volume of inspiration : " The Lord reigneth, be i.-s clothed 
with majesty; in his hand are th%deep places of the 
earth, the strength of the hills is his also. He removeth the 
mountains, and they know not; he overturneth them in 
his anger ; he shaketh the earth out of her place, and the 
pillars thereof tremble. At his presence the earth shook 
and trembled : the foundations also of the hills moved, 
and were shaken, because he was wroth." " Thou cover- 
edst the earth with the deep, as with a garment ; the wa- 
ters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled ; 
at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away." While re- 
tracing such terrific displays of Omnipotence, we are natu- 
rally led to inquire into the moral cause which induced tho 



190 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

Benevolent Creator to inflict upon the world such over- 
whelming desolations. For reason, as well as revelation, 
declares, that a moral cause must have existed. Man 
must have Violated the commands of his Maker, and frus- 
trated the end of his creation ; and to this conclusion the 
Sacred Historian bears ample testimony — " God saw that 
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that 
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually : and Jehovah said, I will destroy man 
whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both 
man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of 
the air." 

ASTRONOMY. 

Another science, which stands in an intimate relation to 
religion, is Astronomy. 

This sublime science teaches us the magnitude and dis- 
tances of the heavenly bodies, their arrangement, their va- 
rious motions and phenomena, and the laws by which their 
movements are regulated. It presents to our view objects 
the most wonderful and sublime ; whether we consider the 
vast magnitude of the bodies about which it is conversant — 
their immense number — the velocity of their motions — the 
astonishing forces requisite to impel them in their rapid ca- 
reer through the regions of the sky — the vast spaces which 
surround them, and in which they perform their revolutions 
—the magnificent circles they describe — the splendor of 
their appearance — or the important ends they are destined 
to serve in the grand system of the universe. Having ad- 
verted to this subject, when illustrating the Omnipotence 
of the Deity, I shall here simply statea few additional facts 
with respect to the general appearance of the heavens, the 
bodies which compose the planetary system, and the dis- 
coveries which have been made in the region of the stars. 

When we lift our eyes towards the sky, we pereeiye an 
apparent hollow hemisphere, placed at an indefinite dis- 
tance, and surrounding the earth on every hand. In the 
day time, the principal object which appears in this hemi- 
sphere is the sun. In the morning, we see him rise above 
the distant mountains, or from the extremity of the ocean ; 
he gradually ascends the vault of heaven, and then declines 



ASTRONOMY. 191 

and disappears in the opposite quarter of the sky. In the 
northern parts of the globe, where we reside, if, about the 
21st of March, we place ourselves on an open plain, with 
our face towards the south, the sun will appear to rise on 
our left, or due east, about six in the morning, and about 
the same hour in the evening, he will set due west. In the 
month of June, he rises to our left, but somewhat behind 
us, in a direction towards the north-east, ascends to a 
greater height at noon than in the month of March, and, 
after describing a large arc of the heavens, sets on our 
right, and still behind us, in the north-western quarter of 
the sky. In the month of December, if we stand in the 
same position, we may observe, without turning ourselves, 
both his rising and setting. He rises in the south-east, 
ascends to a small elevation at noon, and sets in the south- 
west, after having described a very small arc of the heavens. 
Every day he appears to move a little towards the east, or 
contrary to his apparent diurnal motion ; for the stars 
which are seen to the eastward of him, appear every suc- 
ceeding day to make a nearer approach to the place in 
which he is seen. All the variety of these successive 
changes is accomplished within the period of 365 days 6 
hours, in which time he appears to have made a complete 
revolution round the heavens from west to east. 

The moon is the next object in the heavens which na- 
turally attracts our attention ; and she is found to go 
through similar variations in the course of a month. 
When she first becomes visible, at new moon, she appears 
in the western part of the heavens, in the form of a cres- 
cent, not far from the setting sun. Every night she in- 
creases in size, and removes to a greater distance from 
the sun, till at last she appears in the eastern part of the 
horizon, just as the sun disappears in the western ; at 
which time she presents a round, full, enlightened face. 
After this, she gradually moves farther and farther eastward, 
and her enlightened part gradually decreases, till at last 
she seems to approach the sun as nearly in the east, as she 
did in the west, and rises only a little before him, in the 
morning, in the form of a crescent. All these different 
changes may bo traced, by attending to her apparent posi- 
tions, from time to time, with respect to the fixed stars. 



192 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

A dark shadow is occasionally seen to move across the 
face of the moon, which obscures her light, and gives her 
the appearance of tarnished copper. Sometimes this 
shadow covers only a small portion of her surface ; at 
other times it covers the whole of her disk for an hour or 
two, and its margin always appears of the figure of a seg- 
ment of a circle. This phenomenon, which happens, at an 
average, about twice every year, is termed an Eclipse of 
the moon. It is produced by the shadow of the earth fall- 
ing upon the moon, when the sun, the earth, and the moon, 
are nearly in a straight line ; and can happen only at the 
time of full moon. Sometimes the moon appears to pass 
across the body of the sun, when her dark side is turned 
towards the earth, covering his disk either in whole or in 
part, and intercepting his rays from a certain portion of the 
earth. This is called an eclipse of the sun, and can happen 
only at the time of new moon. In a total eclipse of the 
sun, which seldom happens, the darkness is so striking, 
that the planets, and some of the larger stars, are distinctly 
seen, and the inferior animals appear struck with terror. 

Again, if, on a winter's evening, about six o'clock, we 
direct our view to the eastern quarter of the sky, we shall 
perceive certain stars just risen above the horizon ; if we 
view the same stars about midnight, we shall find them 
at a considerable elevation in the south, having apparently 
moved over a space equal to one half of the whole hemi- 
sphere. On the next morning, about six o'clock, the same 
stars will be seen setting in the western part of the sky. 
If we turn our eyes towards the north, we shall perceive a 
similar motion in these twinkling orbs, but with this differ- 
ence, that a very considerable number of them neither 
rise nor set, but seem to move round an immoveable point, 
called the north pole. Near this point is placed the pole 
star, which seems to have little or no apparent motion, and 
which, in our latitude, appears elevated a little more than 
half way between the northern part of our horizon and the 
zenith, or point above our heads. A person who has di- 
rected his attention to the heavens for the first time, after 
having made such observations, will naturally inquire — 
Whence come those stars which begin to appear in the 
east? Whither have those gone, which have disappeared in 



ASTRONOMY. 19 



c\ 



the west] and, What becomes, during the day, of the stars 
which are seen in the night ! — It will soon occur to a ra- 
tional observer, who is convinced of the roundness of the 
earth, that the stars which rise above the eastern horizon, 
come trom another hemisphere, which we are apt to ima- 
gine below us, and when they set, return to that hemi- 
sphere again ; and, that the reason why the stars arc 
not seen in the day-time is, not because they are absent 
from our hemisphere, or have ceased to shine, but because 
their light is obscured by the more vivid splendor of the 
^un.* From such observations we are led to conclude, that 



* This is put beyond all doubt, by the invention of the telescope ; 
by -which instrument, adapted to an equatorial motion, we are ena- 
bled to see many of the stars even at noon-day. The author of this 
work, about eleven years ago, made a number of observations, by 
means of an Equatorial telescope, to determine the following; particu- 
lars : — What stars and planets may be conveniently seen in the day- 
time, when the sun is above the horizon ? What degrees of magni- 
fying power are requisite for distinguishing them ? How near their 
conjunction with the sun they may be seen; — and, whether the dimi- 
nution of the aperture of the telescope or the increase of magnifying 
power, conduces most to render a star or planet visible in day-light* 
The results of several hundreds of observations ou these points, ac- 
companied with some original deductions and remarks, are inserted 
in " Nicholson's Philosophical Journal, !, for October, 1813, vol.36, p. 
109 — 12o. The following are some of the results which were deduced 
from the observations : — That a star of the first magnitude may be 
.Ustinguished. at any time of the day, with a magnifying power oi 30 
times, but that a higher magnifying power is preferable — That most 
/ of the itars of the second magnitude may be seen with a power of 
100; and w r ith a power of CO times, when the sun is not much more 
n two hours above the horizon — That the planet Jupiter, when 
not within DO or 40 degrees of the sun, may be seen with a power of 
15 times;— and that Venus may, in most instances, be seen with a 
power of from 7 to 100 times, and upwards — That Jupiter can 
scarcely be distinguished, in the day-time, when within 26 degrees 
of the sun ; but that Venus may be distinctly perceived near her su- 
perior conjunction, when only one degree and 27 minutes from the 
sun's margin ; and consequently maybe visible at the time of that 
aj unction, when her geocentric latitude equals or exceeds 1 degree 
13 minutes — That she may be perceived, like a fine slrnder crescent, 
within Jo hours after passing her inferior conjunction, &c. &c. One 
practical purpose to which such observation? on Venus, at the time 
tor conjunction, may be applied, is, to determine the dif- 
ference (if any) between her polar and equatorial diameters. For, 
it is onlv at that conjunction that she presents to the earth a full en- 

17 



194 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

the globe on which we tread is suspended in empty space 
— is surrounded on all sides by the celestial vault — and 
that the whole sphere of the heavens has ah apparent mo- 
tion round the earth every twenty-four hours. Whether 
this motion be real, or only apparent, must be determined 
by other considerations. 

Such general views of the nocturnal heavens, which eve- 
ry common observer may take, have a tendency to expand 
the mind, and to elevate it to the contemplation of an Invi- 
sible Power, by which such mighty movements are conduct- 
ed. Whether we consider the va.^t concave, with all its ra- 
diant orbs, moving in majestic grandeur around our globe, 
or the earth itself whirling round its inhabitants in an op- 
posite direction — an idea of sublimity, and of Almighty en- 
ergy, irresistibly forces itself upon the mind, which throws 
completely into the shade the mightiest efforts of human 
power. The most powerful mechanical engines that were 
ever constructed by the agency of man, can scarcely afford 
us the least assistance in forming a conception of that in- 
comprehensible Power which, with unceasing energy, 
communicates motion to revolving worlds. And yet, such 
is the apathy with which the heavens are viewed by the 
greater part of mankind, that there are thousands who have 
occasionally gazed at the stars, for the space of fifty years, 
who are still ignorant of the fact that they perform only 
an apparent diurnal revolution round our globe. 

Again, if we contemplate the heavens with some atten- 
tion, for a number of successive nights, we shall find that 
by far the greater part of the stars never vary their posi- 
tions with respect to each other. If we observe two stars 
at a certain apparent distance from each other, either north 
or south, or in any other direction they will appear at the 
same distance, and in the same relative position to each 



lightened hemisphere ; and in no other position can the measure of 
both diameters be taken, except when she makes a transit across the 
sun's disk As the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, are found to be 
spheroids, it is highly probable that Venus is of a similar figure; but 
this point has never yet been ascertained by actual observation. See 
also " The Edinburgh Philos. Journal." No. 5. for July, 1820, p. 191 : 
andNo.13, for July,1822— " The Scots. Mag. 5 ' for Feb. 1814, p. 81— 
*.' Monthly Mag." Feb. 1814, and August. 1830, p. 62. 



ASTRONOMY. 19 a 

other, the next evening, the next month, and the next year. 
The stars, for instance, which form the sword and belt of 
Orion, present to our eye the same figure and relative as- 
pect, during the whole period they are visible in winter, 
and from one year to another ; and the same is the case 
with all the fixed stars in the firmament. On examining 
the sky a little more minutely, however, we perceive cer- 
tain bodies which regularly shift their positions. Some- 
times they appear to move to wards the east, sometimes to- 
wards the west, and at other times seem to remain in a 
stationary position. These bodies have obtained the name 
of jtlanetSj or wandering stars ; and, in our latitude, are 
most frequently seen, either in the eastern and western, or 
in the southern parts of the heavens. Ten of these planet- 
ary orbs have been discovered ; six of which are, for the 
most part, invisible to the naked eye- By a careful exami- 
nation of the motions of these bodies, and their different 
aspects, astronomers have determined that they all move 
round the sun as the centre of their motions, and form, 
along with the earth and several smaller glebes, one grand 
and harmonious system. This assemblage of planetary 
bodies 13 generally termed the Solar System, of which I 
shall now endeavor to exhibit a brief outline. 

THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 

Of this system, the Sun is the centre and the animating 
• •rinciple, and by far the largest body that exists within its 
limits. The first thing that strikes the mind when contem- 
plating this glorious orb, is its astonishing magnitude. 
This vast globe is found to be about 8S0,000 miles in di- 
ameter, and, consequently, contains a mass of matter 
equal to thirteen hundred thousand globes of the size of the 
earth. Were its central parts placed adjacent to the sur- 
face of the earth, its circumference would reach two hun- 
dred thousand miles beyond the moon's orbit, on even 
side, filling a cubical space of 681,472,000,000,000,000 
miles. If it would require 18,000 years to traverse ever} 
square mile on the earth's surface, at the rate of 30 miles 
a day, (see p. 37,) it would require more than two thousand 
millions of years to pass over every part of the sun's sur- 
face, at the same rate. Even at the rate of 90 miles a-dav 



.196 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

it would require more than 80 years to go round its circum- 
ference. Of a body so vast in its dimensions, the human 
mind, with all its efforts, can form no adequate conception. 
It appears an extensive universe in itself; and although 
no other body existed within the range of infinite space, 
this globe alone would afford a powerful demonstration of 
the Omnipotence of the Creator. Were the sun a hollow 
sphere, surrounded by an external shell, and a luminous 
atmosphere ; were this shell perforated with several hun- 
dreds of openings into the internal parts ; were a globe as 
large as the earth placed at its centre, and another globe 
as large as the moon, and at the same distance from the 
centre as the moon is from us, to revolve round the central 
globe, — it would present to the view a universe as splendid 
and glorious as that which now appears to the vulgar eye, 
— *>a universe as large and extensive as the whole creation 
was conceived to be by our ancestors, in the infancy of 
astronomy. And who can tell, but that Almighty Being, 
"who has not left a drop of water in a stagnant pool without 
its inhabitants, has arranged a number of worlds within 
the capacious circuit of the sun, and peopled them with in- 
telligent beings in the first stages of their existence, to re- 
main there for a certain period, till they are prepared for 
being transported to a more expansive sphere of existence ? 
It is easy to conceive, that enjoyments as exquisite, and a 
range of thought as ample, as have ever yet been experien- 
ced by the majority of the inhabitants of our world, might 
be afforded to myriads of ^eings thus placed at the centre 
of this magnificent luminary. This supposition is, at least, 
as probable as that of the celebrated Dr. Herschel, who 
supposed that the exterior surface of the sun was peopled 
with inhabitants. For. if this were the case, the range of 
view of these inhabitants would be confined within the 
limits of two or three hundred miles, and no celestial body. 
but only an immense blaze of light, would be visible in their 
hemisphere. Such is the variety which appears among the 
works of God, and such is the diversity of situations in 
which sensitive beings are placed, that we dare not pro- 
nounce it impossible that both these suppositions may be 
realized. 

Though the sun seems to perform a daily circuit around 



ASTRONOMY. 197 

our globe, he may be said, in this respect, to be fixed and 
immoveable. This motion is not real, but only apparent. 
and is owing to the globe on which we ar^ placed, moving 
round its axis from west to east ; just as the objects on the 
bank of a river seem to move in a contrary direction, 
when we are sailing along its stream in a steam boat. The 
only motion which is found to exist in the sun is, a motion 
of rotation, like that of a globe or ball twirled round a 
pivot or axis, which is performed in the space of 25 days 
and 10 hours. This motion has been ascertained by means 
of a variety of dark spots which are discovered by the 
telescope on the sun's disk; which first appear on his east- 
ern limb, and, after a period of about thirteen days, disap- 
pear on his western, and, after a similar period, re-appear 
on his eastern edge. These spots are various, both in 
number, in magnitude, and in sh£pe: sometimes 40 or 50, 
and sometimes only one or two are visible, and at other 
times the sun appears entirely without spots. Most of 
them have a very dark nucleus, or central part, surrounded 
by an umbra, or fainter shade. Some of the spots are as 
large as would cover the whole continent of Europe, Asia, 
and Africa, others have been observed of the size of the 
whole surface of the earth ; and one was seen, in the year 
1779, which was computed to be more than f fly thousand 
jiiiles in diameter. 

With regard to the nature of this globe — it appears 
highly probable, from the observations of Dr. Herschel,that 
the sun is a solid and opaque body, surrounded with lumi- 
nous clouds which float in the solar atmosphere, and that 
the dark nucleus of the spots is the opaque body of the 
sun appearing through occasional openings in this .(mo- 
. [)here. The height of the atmosphere, he computes to be 
not less than 1S43, nor more than 2765 miles, consisting 
of two regions; that nearest the sun bein<>- opaque, and 
probably resembling the clouds of our earth; the outer- 
most emitting vast quantities of light, and forming the ap- 
parent luminous globe we behold. 

The sun is the grand source of light and heat, both to 
the earth and to all the other planetary bodies. The heat 
he diffuses animates every part of our sublunary system, 
and all that variety of coloring which adorns the terrestrial 

17* 



198 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

landscape, is produced by his rays. It has been lately dis- 
covered, that the rays of light, and the rays of heat, or 
caloric, are distinct from each other ; for it can be de- 
monstrated that some rays from the sun produce heat, 
which have no power of communicating light or color. 
The greatest heat is found in the red rays, the least in the 
violet rays ; and in a space beyond the red rays, where 
there is no light, the temperature is greatest. The rays 
of the sun have also been found to produce different che- 
mical effects. The white muriate of silver is blackened in 
the violet ray, in the space of 15 seconds, though the red 
will not produce the same effect in less than 20 minutes. 
Phosphorus is kindled in the vicinity of the red ray, and ex- 
tinguished in the vicinity of the violet. The solar light, there- 
fore, consists of three different orders of rays, one producing 
color, a second producing heat, and a third chemical effects. 
Euler has computed that the light of the sun is equal to 
6500 candles at a foot distance, while the moon would be 
as one candle at 7J feet ; Venus at 421 feet ; and Jupiter 
at 1320 feet. — That this immense luminary appears so 
small to our eyes, is owing to its vast distance, which is 
no less than ninety-five millions of miles. Some faint idea 
of this distance may be obtained, by considering, that a 
steam boat, moving at the rate of 200 miles a-day, would 
require thirteen hundred years before it could traverse the 
space which intervenes between us and the sun. 

"Hail sacred source of inexhausted light ! 

Prodigious instance of creating might ! 

His distance man's imagination foils ; 

Numbers will scarce avail to count the miles. 

As swift as thought he darts his radiance round 

To distant worlds, his system's utmost bound.' —B no wx. 

The Planet Mercury. — Mercury is the nearest pla- 
net to the sun that has yet been discovered. He is about 
37 millions of miles distant from the sun, and revolves 
around him in 88 days. His diameter is about 3200 
miles. Before the discovery of the four new planets, Ce- 
res, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta, in the beginning of the pre- 
sent century, this globe was considered as the smallest 
primary planet in the system. His surface, however, con- 
tains above 32 millions of square miles, which is not much 
less than all the habitable parts of our dobe. On account 



ASTRONOMY. 199 

of his nearness to the sun, he is seldom seen by the naked 
eye ; being always near that quarter of the heavens where 
the sun appears ; and therefore few discoveries have been 
made on his surface, by the telescope. M. Schroeter con- 
cludes, from certain observations, that this planet revolves 
round its axis in 24 hours and five minutes. The sun will 
appear to an inhabitant of Mercury seven times larger than 
to an inhabitant of the earth ; and, if the degree of heat be 
in proportion to a planet's nearness to the sun, the heat in 
this planet will be seven times greater than on the surface 
of our globe ; and consequently, were the earth placed in 
the same position, all the water on its surface would boil, 
and soon be turned into vapor. But the All-wise Creator 
has, doubtless, attempered the surface of this globe, and 
the constitution of the beings that may occupy it, to the 
situation in which they are placed.* 

Venus, the next planet in order from the sun, revolves 
around him in 224 days, at the distance of 68 millions of 
miles, and its diameter is about seven thousand seven hun- 
dred miles, or nearly the size of the earth ; and it turns 
round its axis in the space of 23 hours and 20 minutes. 



* From a variety of facts which have been observed in relation to 
the production of Caloric, it does not appear probable, that the de- 
gree of heat on the surfaces of the different planets is inversely pro- 
portional to the squares of their respective distances from the sun. 
It is more probable, that it depends chiefly on the distribution of the 
substance of caloric on the surfaces, and throughout the atmospheres 
uf tnese bodies — in different quantities, according to the different 
situations they occupy in the solar system ; and that these different 
quantities of caloric are put into action by the influence of the solar 
rays, so as to produce that degiee of sensible heat requisite for each 
respective planetary globe. On this hypothesis — which is corrobo- 
rated by a great variety of facts and experiments — there may be no 
more sensible heat felt on the surface of the planet Mercury, than on 
the surface of Herschel, although one of these bodies is nearly 50 
times nearer the sun ihan the other. We have only to suppose that 
a small quantity of caloric exists in Mercury, nnd a larger quantity 
in Herschel. proportionate to his distance from the centre of the sys- 
tem. On this ground, we have no reason to believe, either that the 
planets nearest the sun are parched with excessive heat, or that those 
that, ate most distant are exposed to all the rigors of insufferable cold, 
or that the different degrees of temperature which may be found ii 
these bodies, render them unfit for being the abodes of sensitive and 
intellectual beings. 



JGO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

This planet is the most brilliant orb which appe&rs in our 
nocturnal heavens, and is usually distinguished by the name 
of the morning and the evening star. When it approaches 
nearest to the earth, it is about 27 millions of miles dis- 
tant ; and, at its greatest distance, it is no less than 163 
millions of miles from the earth. Were the whole of its 
enlightened surface turned towards the earth, when it is 
nearest, it would exhibit a light and brilliancy, twenty-five 
times greater than it generally does, and appear like a small 
brilliant moon ; but at that time, its dark hemisphere is 
turned towards our globe. Both Venus and Mercury, 
when viewed by a telescope, appear to pass successively 
through all the shapes and appearances of the moon ; 
sometimes assuming a gibbous phase, and at other times 
the form of a haif-moon, or that of a crescent ; which 
proves that they are dark bodies in themselves, and derive 
their light from the sun. The most distinct and beautiful 
views of Venus, especially when she appears as a crescent, 
are to be obtained in the day time, by means of an equa- 
torial telescope. — From a variety of observations which 
the author has made with this instrument, it has been 
found that "Venus may be seen every clear day, without in- 
terruption, during a period cf 583 days, with the occasion- 
al exception of 13 days in one case, and only 3 days in 
another — a circumstance which cannot be affirmed of any 
other celestial body, the sun only excepted.* M. Schroe- 



*■ See Edin. Phil. Journ. No. V. July. 1820, and No. XIII. July. 
1822. — I have found, from observation, that this planet may be seen 
in the day time, when only 1° 43 fron the sun's centre : and, conse- 
quently, when its geocentric latitude at the time of the superior con- 
junction exceeds that quantity, it may be distinctly seen during the 
whole period of 583 days, excepting about 35 hours before and after 
its inferior conjunction. — It is well known to astronomers, that there 
has been a difference of opinion with respect to the pericd of the 
rotation of this planet. passim," from observations on a bright spot 
w r hich had advanced 20 degrees, in 24 hours 34 minutes, determined, 
the time of its rotation to be 23 hours and 20 mmutes. On the 
other hand, Bianchini, from similar observations, concluded, that its 
diurnal period was 24 days and 8 hours. The difficulty of de- 
ciding between these two opinions, arises from the short time in 
which observations can be made on this planet, either before sun-rise, 
or after sun-set. which prevents us from tracing, with accuracy, the 
•progressive motion of its spots for a sufficient length of time. 



ASTRONOMY. 201 

ter affirms that he has discovered mountains on the sur- 
face of this globe, one of which is 10, another 11, and a 
third 22 miles high. It appears also to be encompassed 
with an atmosphere, the densest part of which is about 
16,000 feet high. About twice in the course of a century, 
this planet appears to pass, like a dark spot, across the 
sun's disk. This is termed the transit of Venus. The 
last transit happened June 3, 1769 ; the next will happen 
on December 8, 1834, which will be invisible in Europe. 
Another will happen on the 6th December, 1882, which 
will be partly visible in Great Britain. 

The Earth is the next planet in the system. It moves 
round the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes, at the 
distance of 95 millions of miles, and round its axis in 23 
hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. The former is called its 
annual, and the latter, its diurnal motion. That the earth 
is, in reality, a moving body, is a fact which can no longer 
be called in question ; it is indeed susceptible of the clear- 
est demonstration. But my limits will not permit to enter 
into a detail of the arguments by which it is supported. I 
have already adverted to one consideration, from which its 
diurnal rotation may be inferred. (See pp. 50, 51.) Either 
the earth moves round its axis every day, or the ivhole uni- 
verse moves round it in the same time. To suppose the 
latter case to be the fact, would involve a reflection on the 
wisdom of its Almighty Author, and would form the onl\ 
exception that we know, to that beautiful proportion, har- 
mony, and simplicity, which appear in all the works of Na- 
ture. Were it possible to construct a machine as large as 
the city of London, and to apply to it mechanical powers 
sufficient to make it revolve on an axis, so as to carry 



And although an observer should mark the position of the spots, at 
the same hour, on two succeeding evenings, and find they had moved 
forward about 20 degrees in 24 hours, he would still be at a loss to 
determine, whether they had moved 20 degrees in #//, since the pre 
ceding observation, or had finished a revolution, and 20 degree- 
more. — In " Nicholson's Philosophical Journal," vol. 36, I endea- 
vored to show, how this point may be determined by observation- 
made on Venus in the day time, by which, in certain cases, the pro 
gressivr motion of* her spots might be traced, without interruption, 
for 12 hours or more, which would completely settle the period < 
rotatioi , 



202 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

round a furnace for the purpose of roasting a joint of mut- 
ton, suspended in the centre of its motion — while we 
might admire the ingenuity and the energies displayed in 
its construction — all mankind would unite in condemning 
it as a display of consummate folly. But such an extrava- 
gant piece of machinery would not be half so preposterous 
as to suppose that the vast universe is daily revolving 
around our little globe, and that all the planetary motions 
have an immediate respect to it. And shall we dare to 
ascribe to Him who is " the only wise God," contrivances 
which we would pronounce to be the perfection of folly in 
mankind V 9 It is recorded of the Astronomer Alphonsus, 
King of Castile, who lived in the 13th century, that, after 
having studied the Ptolemaic System^ which supposes the 
earth at rest in the centre of the universe, he uttered the 
following impious sentence : " If I had been of God's 
privy council, when he made the world, I would have ad- 
vised him better." So that false conceptions of the Sys- 
tem of Nature, lead to erroneous notions of that adorable 
Being who is possessed of Infinite Perfection. We find 
that bodies much larger than the earth have a similar ro- 
tation. The planet Jupiter, a globe 295,000 miles in cir- 
cumference, moves round his axis in less than ten hours : 
and all the other planetary bodies, on which spots have 
been discovered, are found to have a diurnal motion. Be- 
sides, it is found to be an universal law of nature, that 
smaller globes revolve round larger ; but there is no ex- 
ample in the universe, of a larger body revolving around a 
smaller. The moon revolves around the earth, but she is 
much smaller than the earth ; the moons which move 
around Jupiter, Saturn, and Herschel, are all less than 
their primaries, and the planets which perform their revo- 
lutions around the sun are much less than that central lu- 
minary. 

With regard to the annual revolution of the earth, if 
such a motion do not exist, the planetary system would 
present a scene of inextricable confusion. The planets 
would sometimes move backwards, sometimes forwards, 
and at other times remain stationary ; and would describe 
looped curves, so anomalous and confused, that no man in 
bis senses could view the All- wise Creator as the author ot 



ASTRONOMY. 203 

so much confusion. Bur, by considering the earth as re- 
volving in an orbit between Venus and ?riars, (which all 
celestial observations completely demonstrate,) all the ap- 
parent irregularities of th< j planetary motions are com- 
pletely solved and accounted for ; and the Solar System 
presents a scene of beauty, harmony, and grandeur, com- 
bined with a simplicity of design which characterizes all 
the works of Omnipotence. 

The Moon. — Next to the sun, the moon is to us the 
most interesting of all the cele-tial orbs. She is the con- 
stant attendant of the earth, and revolves around it in 27 
days 8 hours ; but the period from one new or full moon 
to another is about 29 days 12 hours. She is the nearest 
of all the heavenly bodies ; being only about two hundred 
and forty thousand miles distant from the earth. She is 
much smaller than the earth; being only 2,180 miles in 
diameter. Her surface, when viewed with a telescope, pre- 
sents an interesting and variegated aspect ; being diver- 
sified with mountains, valleys, rocks, and plains, in every 
variety of form and position. Some of these mountains 
form long and elevated ridges, resembling the chains of the 
Alps and the Andes; while others, of a conical form, rise to 
a great height, from the middle of level plains, somewhat 
resembling the Peak of TenerilF. But the most singular 
feature of the moon, is, those circular ridges and cavities 
which diversify every portion of her surface. A range of 
mountains of a circular form, rising three or four miles 
above the level of the adjacent districts, surrounds, like a 
mighty rampart, an extensive plain ; and in the middle ol 
this plain or cavity, an insulated conical hill rises to a con- 
siderable elevation. Several hundreds of these circular 
plains, most of which are considerably below the level of 
the surrounding country, may be perceived with a good 
telescope, on every region of the lunar surface. They arc 
of all dimensions, from two or three miles to forty miles in 
diameter ; and if they be adorned with verdure, they must 
present to the view of a spectator, placed among them, a 
more variegated, romantic, and sublime scenery than is to 
be bund on the surface of our globe. An idea of some 
of these scenes may be acquired, by conceiving a plain of 
about a hundred miles in circumference, encircled with a 



204 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

range of mountains, of various forms, three miles in per- 
pendicular height, and having a mountain near the centre, 
whose top reaches a mile and a half above the level of the 
plain. From the top of this central mountain, the whole 
plain, with all its variety of objects, would be distinctly 
visible ; and the view would appear to be bounded on all 
sides by a lofty amphitheatre of mountains, in every diver- 
sity of shape, rearing their summits to the sky. From the 
summit of the circular ridge, the conical hill in the centre, 
the opposite circular range, the plain below, and some of 
the adjacent plains, which encompass the exterior ridge of 
the mountains, would form another variety of view ;— and 
a third variety would be obtained from the various aspects 
of the central mountain, and the surrounding scenery, as 
viewed from the plains below. 

The Lunar mountains are of all sizes, from a furlong to 
five miles in perpendicular elevation. Certain luminous 
spots, which have been occasionally seen on the dark side 
of the moon, seem to demonstrate that fire exists in this 
planet. Dr. Herschel, and several other astronomers, 
suppose that they are volcanoes in a state of eruption. It 
would be a more pleasing idea, and perhaps as nearly cor- 
responding to fact, to suppose that these phenomena are 
owing to some occasional splendid illuminations produced 
by the Lunar inhabitants, during their long nights. Such 
a scene as the burning of Moscow, the conflagration of an 
extensive forest, or the splendid illumination of a large city 
with gas-lights, might present similar appearances to a 
spectator in the Moon.— The bright spots on the moon are 
the mountainous regions : the dark spots are the plains, or 
more level parts of her surface. There may probably be 
rivers or small lakes on this planet ; but there are no seas 
or large collections of water. It appears highly probable, 
from the observations of Schroeter, that the Moon is en- 
compassed with an atmosphere ; but no clouds, rain, or 
snow, seem to exist in it. The illuminating power of the 
light derived from the moon, according to the experiments 
made by Professor Leslie, is about the one hundred and 
fifty thousandth part of the illuminating power of the sun. 
According to the experiments of M. Bouguer. it is onlv 
as 1 to 300,000. 



ASTRONOMY. 205 

The Moon always presents the same face to us ; which 
proves that she revolves round her axis in the same time 
that she revolves round the earth. As this orb derives its 
light from the sun, and reflects a portion of it upon the 
earth, so the earth performs the same office to the moon. A 
spectator on the lunar surface would behold the earth, like 
a luminous orb, suspended in the vault of heaven, present- 
ing a surface about 13 times larger than the moon does to 
us, and appearing sometimes gibbous, sometimes homed, 
and at other times with a round full face. The light which 
the earth reflects upon the dark side of the moon may be 
distinctly perceived by a common telescope, from three, to 
six or eight days after the change. — The lunar surface con- 
tains about 15 millions of square miles, and is therefore 
capable of containing a population equal to that of our 
globe, allowing only about 53 inhabitants to every square 
mile. That this planet is inhabited by sensitive and intel- 
ligent beings there is every reason to conclude, from a con- 
sideration of the sublime scenery with which its surface is 
adorned, and of the general beneficence of the Creator, who 
appears to have left no large portion of his material crea- 
tion without animated existences ; and it is highly probable 
that direct proofs of the moon's being inhabited may here- 
after be obtained, when all the varieties on her surface shall 
have been more minutely explored.* 

The Planet Mars. — Next to the earth and moon, the 
planet Mars performs his revolution round the sun, in one 
year and ten months, at the distance of 145 millions of 
miles. His diameter is about 4,200 miles, and he is dis- 
tinguished from all the other planets, by his ruddy appear- 
ance, which is owing to a dense atmosphere with which he 
is environed. With a good telescope his surface appears 
diversified by a variety of spots ; by the motion of which 
it is found that he turns round his axis in 24 hours and 40 
minutes. The inclination of his axis to the plane of his 
orbit being about 28° 42', the days and nights, and the dif- 
ferent seasons in this planet, will bear a considerable re* 
semblance to those we experience in our terrestrial sphero. < 



+ See Appendix, No. III. 

+ The inclination of the earth's axis to the ecliptic, or, in other wordi 

18 



206 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

At his nearest approach to the earth, his distance from u$ 
is about 50 millions of miles ; and at his greatest distance, 
he is about 240 millions of miles ; so that in the former 
case he appears nearly 25 times larger than in the latter. 
To a spectator in this planet, our earth will appear alter- 
nately, as a morning or an evening star, and will exhibit 
all the phases of the moon, just as Venus does to us, but 
with a less degree of apparent magnitude and splendor. A 
luminous zone has been observed about the poles of Mars, 
which is subject to successive changes. Dr. Herschel sup- 
poses that it is produced by the reflection of the sun's light 
from his frozen regions, and that the melting of these mass- 
es of polar ice is the cause of the variation in its magni- 
tude and appearance. This planet moves, in its orbit, at 
the- rate of fifty-five thousand miles an hour. 

The new Planets. — Between the orbits of Mars and 
Jupiter four planetary bodies have been lately discovered, 
accompanied with circumstances somewhat different from 
those of the other bodies which compose our system. 
They are named Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta. The 
planet Ceres was discovered at Palermo, in Sicily, by M. 
Piazzi, on the first day of the present century. It is of a 
ruddy color, and appears about the size of a star of the 8th 
magnitude, and is consequently invisible to the naked eye. 
It performs its revolution in 4 years and 7 months, at the 
distance of 260 millions of miles from the sun, and is 
reckoned, by some astronomers, to be about 1624 miles in 
diameter, or about half the diameter of Mercury. It ap- 
pears to be surrounded with a large dense atmosphere. — 
Pallas was discovered the following year, namely, on the 
28th March, 1802, by Dr. Olbers, of Bremen. It is sup- 
posed to be about 2000 miles in diameter, or nearly the 
size of the Moon. It revolves round the sun in 4 years 
and 7 months, or nearly in the same time as Ceres, at the 
distance of 266 millions of miles ; and is surrounded with 
a nebulosity, or atmosphere, above 400 miles in height, si- 



to the plane of its annual orbit, is 23 degrees and 28 minutes, which 
is the cause of the diversity of seasons, and of the different length of 
days and nights. Were the axis of the earth perpendicular to its 
orbit, as is the case with the planet Jupiter, there would be no diver- 
sity of seasons. 



ASTRONOMY. 207 

milar to that of Ceres.— The planet Juno was discovered on 
the 1st September, 1804, by Mr. Harding, of Bremen. Its 
mean distance from the sun is about 253 millions of miles; 
its revolution is completed in 4 years and 130 days, and its 
diameter is computed to be about 1425 miles. It is free 
from the nebulosity which surrounds Pallas, and is distin- 
guished from all the other planets by the great eccentricity 
of its orbit ; being, at its least distance from the sun, only 
189 millions of miles, and at its greatest distance, 316 
millions. — Vesta was discovered by Dr. Olbers on the 29th 
3Iarch, 1807. It appears like a star of the 5th or 6th mag- 
nitude, and may sometimes be distinguished by the naked 
eye. Its light is more intense and white than any of the 
other three, and it is not surrounded with any nebulosity. 
It is distant from the sun about 225 millions of miles, and 
completes its revolution in 3 years and 240 days. Its di- 
ameter has not yet been accurately ascertained ; but, from 
the intensity of its light and other circumstances, it is con- 
cluded that it exceeds in magnitude both Pallas and Juno. 
These planetary globes present to our view a variety of 
anomalies and singularities, which appear incompatible 
with the regularity, proportion, and harmony, which were 
formerly supposed to characterize the arrangements of the 
solar system. — They are bodies much smaller in size than 
the other planets — they revolve nearly at the same dis- 
tances from the sun, and perform their revolutions in near- 
ly the same periods — their orbits are much more eccentric, 
and have a much greater degree of inclination to the eclip- 
tic, than those of the old planets — and, what is altogether 
singular, (except in the case of comets,) their orbits cross 
each other ; so that there is a possibility that two of these 
bodies may happen to interfere, and strike each other, in 
the course of their revolutions. The orbit of Ceres cross- 
es the orbit of Pallas. Vesta may sometimes be at a 
greater distance from the sun than either Ceres, Paiias, or 
Juno, although its mean distance is less than that of either 
of them, by several millions of miles ; so that the orbit of 
Vesta crosses the orbits of all the other three. From these 
and other circumstances, it has, with a high degree of pro- 
bability, been concluded — that these four planets are the 
fragments of a large celestial body which once revolved be 



208 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tween Mars and Jupiter, and which had been burst asunder 
by some immense irruptive force. This idea seems to have 
occurred to Dr. Olbers after he had discovered the planet 
Pallas, and he imagined that other fragments might possibly 
exist. He concluded, that, if they all diverged from the 
same point, " they ought to have two common points of 
reunion, or two nodes in opposite regions of the heavens, 
through which all the planetary fragments must sooner or 
later pass." One of these nodes he found to be in the 
constellation Virgo, and the other in the Whale ; and it is 
a remarkable coincidence, that it was in the latter of these 
regions that the planet Juno was discovered by Mr. Har- 
ding. In order to detect the remaining fragments, (if any 
existed,) Dr. Olbers examined, three times every year, all 
the small stars in Yirgo and the Whale ; and it was actual- 
ly in the constellation Virgo that he discovered the planet 
Vesta. It is not unlikely that other fragments of a similar 
description may yet be discovered. Dr. Brewster attri- 
butes the fall of meteoric stones* to the smaller fragments 
of these bodies happening to come within the sphere of the 
earth's attraction. His ingenious reasonings on this sub- 
ject, and in support of Dr. Olbers' hypothesis above-stated, 
may be seen in Edin. Ency. vol. ii. p. 641, and in his 
" Supplementary chapters to Ferguson's Astronomy." 

The facts to which I have now adverted seem to unfold 
a new scene in the history of the dispensations of the Al- 



+ Meteoric stones, or what are generally termed aerolites, are 
stories which sometimes fall from the upper regions of the atmosphere, 
upon the earth. The substance of which they are composed is, for 
the most part, metallic ; but the ore of which they consist is not to be 
found in the same constituent prop or lions, in any terrestrial substances. 
Their fall is generally preceded by a luminous appearance, a hissing 
noise, and a loud explosion; and, when found immediately after their 
descent, are always hot. Their size diners from small fragments, of 
inconsiderable weight, to the most ponderous masses. Some of the 
larger portions of these stones have been found to weigh from 300 
lbs. to several tons ; and they have often descended to the earth with 
a force sufficient to bury them many feet under the soil. Some have 
supposed that these bodies are projected from volcanoes in the 
moon ; others, that they proceed from volcanoes on the earth ; while 
others imagine that they are generated in the regions of the atmos- 
phere ; but, the true cause is, probably, not yet ascertained. In 
some instances, these stones have penetrated through the roofs of 
houses, and proved destructive to the inhabitants, 



ASTRONOMY. 209 

mighty, and to warrant the conclusion that the earth is 
not the only globe in the universe which is subject to phy- 
sical changes and moral revolutions. 

The Planet Jupiter. — This planet is 490 millions of 
miles distant from the sun, and performs its annual revolu- 
tion in nearly twelve of our years, moving at the rate of 
twenty-nine thousand miles an hour. It is the largest pla- 
net in the solar system ; being 89,000 miles in diameter, or 
about fourteen hundred times larger than the earth. Its 
motion round its axis is performed in nine hours and fifty- 
six minutes ; and, therefore, the portions of its surface 
about the equator, move at the rate of 28,000 miles an 
hour, which is nearly twenty-seven times swifter than the 
earth's diurnal rotation. The figure of Jupiter is that of 
on oblate spheroid, the axis, or diameter, passing through 
the poles, being about 6000 miles shorter than that passing 
through the equator. The Earth, Saturn, and Mars, are 
also spheroids ; and it is highly probable that Mercury, Ve- 
nus, and Herschel, are of a similar figure, though the fact 
has not yet been ascertained by actual observation. When, 
viewed with a telescope, several spots have been occasion- 
ally discovered on the surface of this planet, by the mo- 
tion of which, its rotation was determined. 

But, what chiefly distinguishes the surface of Jupiter, is 
several streaky appearances, or dusky stripes, which extend 
across his disk in lines parallel to his equator. These arc 
generally termed his Belts. Three of these belts or zones, 
nearly equi-distant from each other, are most frequently ob- 
served ; but they are not regular or constant in their ap- 
pearance.* Sometimes only one is to be seen, sometimes 
five, and sometimes seven or eight have been distinctly vi- 
sible ; and in the latter case, two of them have been known 
to disappear during the time of observation. On the 28th 
May, 1780, Dr. Herschel perceived " the whole surface of 
Jupiter covered with small curved belts, or rather lines, 



* A representation of these belts, in the positions in which they 
most frequently appear, is exhibited in the engraving, Fig. 2. 
Fig. 1. represents the doable ring of Saturn as it appears when view- 
ed through a powerful telescope. — Figures, 1, 2, 3, and 4 repre- 
sent Saturn, Jupiter, Herschel, the Earth and Moon, in thur rdaiiv. 
uzes and proportions. 

1S> 



210 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

that were not continuous across his disk." Though these 
belts are generally parallel to each other, yet they are not 
always so. Their breadth is likewise variable ; one belt 
having been observed to grow narrow, while another in its 
neighborhood has increased in breadth, as if the one had 
flowed into the other. The time of their continuance is 
also uncertain ; sometimes they remain unchanged for 
several months, at other times, new belts have been formed 
in an hour or two. What these belts, or variable appear- 
ances, are, it is difficult to determine. Some have regard- 
ed them as strata of clouds floating in the atmosphere of 
Jupiter ; while others imagine that they are the marks of 
great physical revolutions which are perpetually changing 
the surface of that planet. The former opinion appears 
the most probable. But, whatever may be the nature of 
these belts, the sudden changes to which they are occasion- 
ally subject, seem to indicate the rapid operation of some 
powerful physical agency ; for some of them are more than 
five thousand miles in breadth ; and since they have been 
known to disappear in the space of an hour or two, and 
even during the time of a casual observation — agents 
more powerful than any with which we are acquainted 
must have produced so extensive an effect. 

Jupiter is attended by four satellites, or moons, which 
present a very beautiful appearance, when viewed through 
a telescope. The first moon, or that nearest the planet, is 
230,000 miles distant from its centre, and goes round it in 
42^ hours; and will appear from its surface, four times 
larger than our moon does to us. The second moon, be- 
ing farther distant, will appear about the size of ours ; the 
third, somewhat less ; and the fourth, which is a million of 
miles distant from Jupiter, and takes sixteen days to go 
round him, will appear only about one- third the diameter 
of our moon. These moons suffer frequent eclipses from 
passing through Jupiter's shadow, in the same way as our 
moon is eclipsed by passing through the shadow of the 
earth. By the eclipses of these moons, the motion of 
light was ascertained ; and they are found to be of essen- 
tial use in determining the longitude of places on the sur- 
face of our globe. This planet, if seen from its nearest 
moon, will present a surface a thousand times as large as 



ASTRONOMY* 211 

our moon does to us, and will appear in the form of a cres- 
cent, a half-moon, a gibbous phase, and a full moon, in 
regular succession, every 42 hours. Jupiter's axis being 
nearly perpendicular to his orbit, he has no sensible change 
of seasons, such as we experience on the earth. Were we 
placed on the surface of this planet, with the limited pow- 
ers of vision we now possess, our earth and moon would 
entirely disappear, as if they were blotted out from the 
map of creation ; and the inhabitants of those regions 
must have much better eyes than ours, if they know that 
there is such a globe, as the earth, in the universe. 

The Planet Saturn. — This planet is 900 millions of 
miles distant from the sun, being nearly double the distance 
of Jupiter. Its diameter is 79,000 miles, and, consequent- 
ly, it is more than nine hundred times the bulk of the earth. 
It takes 29^ years to complete its revolution round the 
sun ; but its diurnal motion is completed in ten hours and 
sixteen minutes ; so that the year in this planet is nearly 
thirty times the length of ours, while the day is shorter, by 
more than one half. The year, therefore, contains about 
twenty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty days, or peri- 
ods of its diurnal rotation, which is equal to 10,759 of our 
days. Saturn is of a spheroidal figure, or somewhat of the 
shape of an orange ; his equatorial being more than six 
thousand miles longer than his polar diameter. His sur- 
face, like that of Jupiter, is diversified with belts and dark 
spots. Dr. Herschel, at certain times, perceived five belts 
on his surface, three of which were dark, and two bright. 
The dark belts had a yellowish tinge, and generally cover- 
ed a larger zone of the disk of Saturn, than the belts of Ju- 
piter occupy upon his surface. On account of the great 
distance of this planet from the sun, the light it receives 
from that luminary is only the ninetieth part of what we en- 
joy ; but, by calculation, it is found that this quantity is a 
thousand times greater than the light which the full moon 
affords to us. Besides, it is surrounded by no fewer than 
seven moons, which supply it with light in the absence of 
the sun. Five of these moons were discovered during the 
seventeenth century, by Huygens and Cassini; and the 
sixth and seventh were discovered by Dr. Herschel, in 
1789, soon after his large forty-feet reflecting telescope. 



212 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

was constructed. These moons, and also those which ac- 
company Jupiter, are estimated to be not less than the 
earth in magnitude, and are found, like our moon, to re- 
volve round their axes in the same time in which they re- 
volve about their respective primaries. 

Rings of Saturn. — -The most extraordinary circum- 
stance connected with this planet, is, the phenomenon of a 
double ring, which surrounds its body, but no where touch- 
es it, being thirty thousand miles distant from any part of 
the planet, and is carried along with the planet in its cir- 
cuit around the sun. This is the most singular and asto- 
nishing object in the whole range of the planetary system : 
no other planet being found environed with so wonderful 
an appendage ; and the planets which may belong to other 
systems, being placed beyond the reach of our observa- 
tions, no idea can be formed of the peculiar apparatus with 
which any of them may be furnished. This double ring 
consists of two concentric rings, detached from each other: 
the innermost of which is nearly three times as broad as the 
outermost. The outside diameter of the exterior ring is 
204,000 miles ; and, consequently, its circumference will 
measure six hundred and forty thousand miles, or eighty 
times the diameter of our globe. Its breadth is 7,200 
miles, or nearly the diameter of the earth. Were four 
hundred and fifty globes, of the size of the earth, placed 
close to one another, on a plane, this immense ring would 
enclose the whole of them, together with all the interstices, 
or open spaces between the different globes. The outside 
diameter of the innermost ring is 184,000 miles, and its 
breadth twenty thousand miles, or about 2\ times broader 
than the diameter of the earth. The dark space, or inter- 
val between the two rings, is 2,800 miles. The breadth 
of both the rings, including the dark space between them. 
is thirty thousand miles, which is equal to the distance of 
the innermost ring from the body of Saturn. 

The following figure represents a view of Saturn and 
his rings, as they would appear, were our eye perpendicu- 
lar to one of the planes of those rings ; but our eye is 
never so much elevated above either plane, as to have the 
visual ray standing at right angles to it : it is never ele- 
vated more than 30 degrees above the planes of the rings. 



ASTRONOMY. 213 

When we view Saturn through a telescope, we always see 
the rings at an oblique angle, so that they appear of an oval 




form, the outward circular rim being projected into an el- 
lipsis more or less oblong, according to the different de- 
grees of obliquity with which it is viewed, as will be seen 
in the figure of Saturn in the copperplate engraving. 

These rings cast a deep shadow upon the planet, which 
proves that they are not shining fluids, but composed of 
solid matter. They appear to be possessed of a higher 
reflective power than the surface of Saturn ; as the light 
reflected by them is more brilliant than that of the planet. 
One obvious use of this double ring is to reflect light upon 
the planet, in the absence of the sun : what other purpo- 
ses it may be intended to subserve, in the system of 
Saturn, is, at present, to us unknown. The sun illumi- 
nates one side of it during fifteen years, or one*half of 
the period of the planet's revolution ; and, during the 



214 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

next fifteen years, the other side is enlightened in its tunie 
Twice in the course of thirty years, there is a short period, 
during which neither side is enlightened, and when, of 
course, it ceases to be visible ; — namely, at the time when 
the sun ceases to shine on one side, and is about to shine 
on the other. It revolves round its axis, and. consequent- 
ly, round Saturn, in ten hours and a half, which is at the 
rate of a thousand miles in a minute, or fifty-eight times 
swifter than the earth's equator. When viewed from the 
middle zone of the planet, in the absence of the sun, the 
rings will appear like vast luminous arches, extending 
along the canopy of heaven, from the eastern to the west- 
ern horizon ; having an apparent breadth equal to a 
hundred times the apparent diameter of our moon, and will 
be seen darkened about the middle, by the shadow of 
Saturn.* 

There is no other planet in the solar system, whose fir- 
mament will present such a variety of splendid and magni- 
ficent objects, as that of Saturn. The various aspects of 
his seven moons, one rising above the horizon, while an- 
other is setting, and a third approaching to the meridian ; 
'one entering into an eclipse, and another emerging from it ; 
one appearing as a crescent, and anoiher with a gibbous 
phase ; and sometimes the whole of them shining in the 
same hemisphere, in one bright assemblage ; — the majes- 
tic motions of the rings, — at one time illuminating the sky 
with their splendor, and eclipsing the stars ; at another, 
casting a deep shade over certain regions of the planet, and 
unveiling the wonders of the starry firmament — are scenes 
worthy the majesty of the Divine Being to unfold, and 
of rational creatures to contemplate. Such magnificent 
displays of Wisdom and Omnipotence, lead us to conclude 
that the numerous splendid objects, connected with this 
planet, were not created merely to shed their lustre on naked 

* See the engraving, fig. 7, which represents a view of the ap- 
pearance which the rings and moons of Saturn will exhibit, in cer- 
tain cases, about midnight, when beheld from a point 20 or 30 de- 
grees north from his equator. The shade on the upper part of the 
rings represents the shadow of the body of Saturn. This shadow will 
appear to move gradually to the west as the morning approaches 



ASTRONOMY. 215 

rocks and barren sands ; but that an immense population of 
intelligent beings is placed in those regions, to enjoy the 
bounty, and to adore the perfections of their great Creator. 
— The double ring of Saturn, when viewed through a good 
telescope, generally appears like a luminous handle on each 
side of the planet, with a dark interval between the interior 
edge of the ring, and the convex body of Saturn; which is 
owing to its oblique position with respect to our line of 
vision. When its outer edge is turned directly towards the 
earth, it becomes invisible, or appears like a dark stripe 
across the disk of the planet. This phenomenon happens 
once every fifteen years. 

The Planet Herschel. — This planet, which is also 
known by the name of the Georgium Sidus, and Uranus, 
was discovered by Dr. Herschel on the 13th March, 1781 . 
It is the most distant planet from the sun that has yet been 
discovered ; being removed at no less than 1800 millions 
of miles from that luminary, which is nineteen times farther 
than the earth is from the sun — a distance so great, that a 
cannon ball, flying at the rate of 480 miles an hour, would 
not reach it in 400 years. Its diameter is about 35,000 
miles ; and, of course, it is about eighty times larger than 
the earth. It appears like a star of the sixth magnitude ; 
but can seldom be distinguished by the naked eye. It takes 
about 83 years and a half to complete its revolution round 
the sun ; and, though it is the slowest moving body in the 
system, it moves at the rate of 15,000 miles an hour. As 
the degree of sensible heat in any planet does not appear to 
depend altogether on its nearness to the sun, the tempe- 
rature of this planet may be as mild as that which obtains in 
the most genial climate of our globe.* The diameter of 
the sun, as seen from Herschel, is little more than the appa- 
rent diameter of Venus, as seen by the naked eye ; and the 
light which it receives from that luminary is 360 times less 
than what we experience ; yet this proportion is found by 
calculation to be equal to the effect which would be produced 
by 248 of our full moons; and, in the absence of the sun, 
there are six moons which reflect light upon this distant pla- 
net, all of which were discovered likewise by Dr. Herschel. 

* See Note, page 199. 



216 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

Small as the proportion of light is, which this planet receives 
from the sun, it is easy to conceive, that beings similar to 
man, placed on the surface of this globe, with a slight modi- 
fication of their organs of vision, might be made to perceive 
objects with a clearness and distinctness even superior to 
what we can do. We have only to suppose that the Crea- 
tor has formed their eyes with pupils capable of a much 
larger expansion than ours ; and has endued their retina 
with a much greater degree of nervous sensibility. At all 
events, we may rest assured, that he who has placed senti- 
ent beings in any region, has, by laws with which we are 
partly unacquainted, adapted the constitution of the inha- 
bitant to the nature of the habitation. 

" Strange and amazing must the difference be, 

'Twixt this dull planet and bright Mercury ; 

Yet reason says, nor can we doubt at all, 

Millions of beings dwell on either ball, 

With constitutions fitted for that spot 

Where Providence, ail- wise, has fixed their lot." 

Baker's Universe. 
The celestial globes which I have now described, are all 
the planets which are at present known to belong to the 
solar system. It is probable that other planetary bodies 
may yet be discovered between the orbits of Saturn and 
Herschel, and even far beyond the orbit of the latter ; and 
it is also not improbable that planets may exist in the im- 
mense interval of 37 millions of miles between Mercury 
and the Sun.* These (if any exist) can be detected only 
by a series of day observations, made with equatorial tele- 
scopes ; as they could not be supposed to be seen, after sun- 
set, on account of their proximity to the sun. Five primary^ 
planets, and eight secondaries, have been discovered with- 



+ The Author, some years ago, described a method by which the 
planets (if any) within the orbit of Mercury, may be discovered m 
the day-time, by means of a simple contrivance for intercepting the 
solar rays, and by the frequent application, by a number of obser- 
vers, of powerful telescopes, to a certain portion of the sky, in the 
vicinity of the sun. The details of this plan have not yet been pub- 
lished; but the reader will see them alluded to, in No. V. of the 
Edinburg Philosophical Journal, for July, 1820, p. 191. 

t A primary planet is that which revolves round the sun as a cen- 
tre ; as Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. A secondary planet is one which 
revolves round a primary planet as its centre ; as the Moon, and the 



ASTRONOMY. 211 

in the last 42 years ; and, therefore, we have no reason to 
conclude that all the bodies belonging to our system have 
yet been detected, till every region of the heavens be more 
fully explored. 

Comets. — Besides the planetary globes to which I have 
now adverted, there is a class of celestial bodies which oc- 
casionally appear in the heavens, to which the name of 
Comets has been given. They are distinguished from the 
other celestial bodies by their ruddy appearance, and by 
a long train of light, called the tail, which sometimes ex- 
tends over a consiaerable portion of the heavens, and 
which is so transparent that the stars may be seen through 
it. The tail is always directed to that part of the heavens 
w 7 hich is opposite to the sun, and increases in size as it 
approaches him, and is again gradually diminished as the 
comet flies off to the more distant regions of space. Their 
apparent magnitude is very different ; sometimes they ap- 
pear only of the bigness of the fixed stars ; at other times 
they equal the diameter of Yenus ; and sometimes they 
have appeared nearly as large as the moon. They tra- 
verse the heavens in all directions, and cross the orbits of 
the planets. When examined through a telescope, they 
appear to consist of a dark central nucleus, surrounded by 
a dense atmosphere, or mass of vapors. They have been 
ascertained to move in long narrow ellipses, or ora/?, 
around the sun ; some of them, on their nearest approach 
to him, having been within a million of miles of his cen- 
tre ; and then fly off to a region several thousands of mil- 
lions of miles distant. When near the sun, they move 
with amazing velocity. The velocity of the comet which 
appeared in 1680, according to Sir Isaac Newton's calcu- 
lation, was eight hundred and eighty thousand miles an 
hour. They appear to be bodies of no great density, and 
their size seldom exceeds that of the moon. The length 
of the tails of some comets has been estimated at fifty 
millions of miles. According to Dr. Ilerschtl's compu- 
tations, the solid nucleus, or central part of the cornel 



satellitps of Jupiter and Suture. The primary planets are distin- 
guished from the fixed stars, hy the steadiness of their light ; not hai 
ibjg a twinkling appearance, as the stars exhibit; 

10 



218 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

which appeared in 1811, was only 428 miles in diameter; 
but the real diameter of the head, or nebulous portion of 
the comet, he computed to be about 127 thousand miles, 
The length of its tail he computed to be above one hun- 
dred millions of miles, and its breadth nearly fifteen mil- 
lions. It was nearest to the earth on the 11th October, 
when its distance was 113 millions of miles. The num- 
ber of comets which have occasionally been seen within 
the limits of our system, since the commencement of the 
Christian era, is about 500, of which the paths or orbits 
of 98 have been calculated. 

As these bodies cross the paths of the planets in every 
direction, there is a possibility that some of them might 
strike against the earth in their approach to the sun ; and 
were this to happen, the consequences would be awful be- 
yond description. But we may rest assured that that Al- 
mighty Being, who at first launched them into existence, 
directs all their motions, however complicated ; and that 
the earth shall remain secure against all such concussions 
from celestial agents, till the purposes of his moral govern- 
ment in this world shall be fully accomplished. TV hat re- 
gions these bodies visit, when they pass beyond the limits 
of our view ; upon what errands they are sent, when they 
again revisit the central parts of our system ; what is the 
difference in their physical constitution, from that of the 
sun and planets ; and what important ends they are des- 
tined to accomplish, in the economy of the universe, are 
inquiries which naturally arise in the mind, but which sur- 
pass the limited powers oi* the human understanding at 
present to determine. Of this, however, we may rest as- 
sured, that they were not created in vain ; that they sub- 
serve purposes worthy of the infinite Creator ; and that 
wherever he has exerted his power, there also he maniiests 
his Wisdom and Beneficence.* 



+ A comet has lately been discovered, whose periodical revolution 
is found to be only 3 years and 107 days. At its greatest distance 
from the sun, it is within the orbit of Jupiter, and it possesses this 
peculiar advantage for observation, that it will become visible ten 
times in thirty-three years. It was last seen in June, 1822, by the 
astronomers in the observatory oi Paramatta, New Holland, in posi- 
tions very near to those which had been previously calculated by Mr, 



ASTRONOMY. 219 

Such is a general outline of the leading facts connected 
with that system of which we form a part. Though the 
energies of Divine Power had never been exerted beyond 
the limits of this system, it would remain an eternal mon- 
ument of the Wisdom and Omnipotence of its Author. In- 
dependent of the Sun, which is iike a vast universe in itself, 
and of the numerous comets which are continually tra- 
versing its distant regions, it contains a mass of material 
existence, arranged in the most beautiful order, two thou- 
sand five hundred times larger than our globe. From 
late observations, there is the strongest reason to conclude, 
that the sun, along with ail this vast assemblage of bodies, 
is carried through the regions of the universe, towards 
some distant point of space, or around some wide circum- 
ference, at the rate of more than sixty thousand miles an 
hour ; and if so, it is highly probable, if not absolutely cer- 
tain, that we shall never again occupy that portion of abso- 
lut j space through which we are at this moment passing, 
during all the succeeding ages of eternity. 

Such a glorious system must have been brought into ex- 
istence, to subserve purposes worthy of the Infinite Wis- 
dom and Benevolence of the Creator. To suppose that 
the distant globes, of which it is composed, with their 
magnificent apparatus of Rings and Moons, were created 
merely for the purpose of affording a few astronomers, in 
these latter times, a peep of them through their glasses, 
would be inconsistent with every principle of reason; and 
would be charging Him who is the source of Wisdom, 
with conduct which we should pronounce to be folly in the 
sons of men. Since it appears, so far as our observation 
extends, that matter exists solely for the sake of sensitive 
and intelligent beings, and that the Creator made nothing 
in vain ; it is a conclusion to which we are necessarily 
led, that the planetary globes are inhabited by various or- 
ders of intellectual beings, who participate in the bounty, 
and celebrate the glory, of their Creator. 

When this idea is taken into consideration, it gives a 
striking emphasis to such sublime declarations of the Sa- 



Euke. . K is probable that the observations which may hereafter tx 
made on this comet, will lead to more definite and accurate vicw- 
of the nature and destination of these singular bodies. 



220 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

cred Volume as these : — " All nations before him are as no- 
thing — He sitteih upon the circle of the earth, and the inha- 
bitants thereof are as grasshoppers — The nations are as the 
drop of a bucket — All the inhabitants of the world are repu- 
ted as nothing in his sight ; and he doth according to his 
will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of 
the earth — Thou hast made heaven and the heaven of hea- 
vens, with all their host ; and thou preservest them all, and 
the host of heaven worshippeth thee— When I consider thy 
heavens. what is man, that thou art mindful of him !" If 
the race of Adam were the principal intelligences in the 
universe of God, such passage? would be stripped of all 
their sublimity, would degenerate into mere hyperboles, 
and be almost without meaning. If man were the only ra- 
tional being who inhabited the material world, as some 
arrogantly imagine, it would be no ;vonder at all that God 
should be "mindful of him ;" nor could " all the inhabitants 
of this world," with any propriety, be compared to " a drop 
of a bucket," and be " reputed as nothing in his sight."— 
Such declarations would be contrary to fact, if this suppo- 
sition were admitted : for it assumes that man holds the 
principal station in the visible universe. The expressions 
— - " The heavens; the heaven of heavens," and " the host 
of heaven worshipping God," would also, on this supposi- 
tion, degenerate into something approaching to mere ina- 
nity. These expressions, if they signify any thing that is 
worthy of an Inspired Teacher to communicate, evidently 
imply that the universe is vast and extensive, beyond the 
range of human comprehension — that it is peopled with 
myriads of inhabitants' — that these inhabitants are possess- 
ed of intellectual natures, capable of appreciating the 
perfections of their Creator — and, that they pay him a tri- 
bute of rational adoration. " The host of heaven worship- 
peth thee." So that the language of Scripture is not only 
consistent with the doctrine of a plurality of worlds, but 
evidently supposes their existence to all the extent to which 
the discoveries of modern science can carry us. However 
vast the universe now appears — however numerous the 
worlds, and systems of worlds, which may exist within its 
boundless range — the language of Scripture is sufficiently 
comprehensive and sublime to express all the emotions 



ASTRONOMY. 221 

which naturally arise in the mind, when contemplating its 
structure — a characteristic which will apply to no other 
book, or pretended revelation. And this consideration 
shows, not only the harmony which subsists between the 
discoveries of Revelation and the discoveries of Science, 
but also forms by itself a strong presumptive evidence 
that the records of the Bible are authentic and divine.* 

Vast as the Solar System we have now been contem- 
plating may appear, it is but a mere point on the map oi 
creation. To a spectator placed on one of the stars of the 
seventh magnitude, not only the glories of this world, and 
the more resplendent scenes of the planet .Saturn, but even 
the sun himself would entirely disappear, as if he were blot- 
ted out of existence. " Were the sun," says IV] r. Addison, 
" which enlightens this part of the creation, with all the 
host of the planetary worlds that move about him, utterly 
extinguished and annihilated, they would not be missed by 
an eye that could take in the whole compass of nature, 
more than a grain of sand upon the sea shore. The space 
they possess is so exceedingly little, in comparison of the 
whole, that it would scarce make a blank in creation." 

The Fixed Stars. — When we pass from the planetary 
system to other regions of creation, we have to traverse in 
imagination, a space so immense that it has hitherto baffled 
all the efforts of science to determine its extent, fn these 
remote and immeasurable spaces, are placed those immense 
luminous bodies usually denominated the fixed stars. The 
nearest stars are, on good grounds, concluded to be at 
least twenty billions of miles distant from our globe — a dis- 
tance through which light (the swiftest body in nature) 
could not travel in the space of three years ; and which a 
bali, moving at the rate of 500 miles an hour, would not 
traverse in four millions, five hundred thousand years, or 
750 times the period which has elapsed since the Mosaic 
creation. But how far th^y may be placed beyond this 
distance, no astronomer will pretend to determine. The 
following consideration will prove, to those unacquainted 
with the mathematical principles of astronomy, that the 
stars are placed at an immeasurable distance. When thev 



* See Appendix, No. VI. 

19* 



222 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 

are viewed through a telescope which magnifies objects a 
thousand times, they appear no larger than to the naked 
eve : which circumstance shows that though we were 
placed at the thousandth part of the distance from them at 
which we now are, they would still appear only as so ma- 
ny shining points ; for we should still be distant from the 
nearest of them, twenty thousand millions of miles : or, in 
other words, were we transported several thousands of 
millions of miles from the spot we now occupy, though 
their number would appear exceedingly increased, they 
would appear no larger than they do from our present sta- 
tion ; and we must be carried forward thousands of millions 
of miles farther in a long succession, before their disks 
would appear to expand into large circles, like the moon. 
Dr. Herschel viewed the stars with telescopes magnifying 
six thousand times, yet they still appeared only as brilliant 
points, without any sensible disks, or increase of diameter. 
This circumstance incontesiably proves the two following 
things : — 1. That the stars are luminous bodies, which 
shine by their own native light ; otherwise they could not 
be perceived at such vast distances. 2. That they are 
bodies of an immense size, not inferior to the sun ; and 
many of them, it is probable, far exceed that luminary in 
bulk and splendor. 

The stars, on account of the difference in their apparent 
magnitudes, have been distributed into several classes or 
orders. Those which appear largest are called stars of the 
first magnitude ; next to those in lustre, stars of the second 
magnitude, and so on to stars of the sixth magnitude, which 
are the smallest that can be distinguished by the naked eye. 
Stars of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, &e. magnitudes, which 
cannot be seen by the naked eye, are distinguished by the 
name of telescopic stars. Not more than a thousand stars 
can be distinguished by the naked eye, in the clearest win- 
ter night ; but by means of the telescope, millions have 
been discovered. (See p. 41.) — And as it is probable 
that by far the greater part lie beyond the reach of the 
best glasses which have been, or ever will be. constructed 
by man — the real number of the stars may be presumed to 
be beyond all human calculation or conception, and per- 
haps beyond the grasp of angelic comprehension* 



ASTRONOMY. 22 



r> 



In consequence of recent discoveries, we have now the 
strongest reason to believe that all the stars in the uni- 
verse are arranged into clusters, or groups, which astro- 
nomers distinguish by the name of Nebul.e or Starry 
Systems, each nebula consisting of many thousands of 
stars. The nearest nebula is that whitish space, or zone, 
which is known by the name of the Milky Way, to which 
our sun is supposed to belong. It consists of many hun- 
dreds of thousands of stars. When Dr. Herschel exa- 
mined this region with his powerful telescope, he found 
a portion of it only 15 degrees long, and 2 broad, which 
contained fifty thousand stars large enough to be distinctly 
counted ; and he suspected twice as many more which, for 
want of sufficient light in his telescope, he saw only now 
and then. More than two thousand five hundred nebula) 
have already been observed ; and, if each of them contain 
as many stars as the Milky Way, several hundreds of mil- 
lions of stars must exist, even within that portion of the 
heavens which lies open to our observation. 

It appears, from numerous observations, that various 
changes are occasionally taking place in the regions of the 
stars. Several stars have appeared for a while in the hea- 
vens, and then vanished from the sight. Some stars which 
were known to the ancients cannot now be discovered ; 
and stars are now distinctly visible, which were to them 
unknown. ^ few stars have gradually increased in bril- 
liancy, while others have been constantly diminishing in 
lustre. Certain stars, to the number of 15, or upwards, 
are ascertained to have a periodical increase and decrease 
of their lustre, sometimes appearing like stars of the 1st or 
2d magnitude, sometimes diminishing to the size of the 
4th or 5th magnitude, and sometimes altogether disappear- 
ing to the naked eye. It also appears that changes are 
taking place among the nebulae — that several nebulae arc 
formed by the decomposition of larger nebulae, and that 
many nebulae of this kind are at present detaching them- 
selves from the nabula of the Milky Way. These changes 
seem to indicate that mighty movements and vast opera- 
tions are continually going on in the distant regions of 
creation, under the superintendence of the Sovereign of th< 



224 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

Universe, upon a scale of magnitude and grandeur which 
overwhelms the human understanding. 

To explore, more extensively, the region of the starry 
firmament ; to mark the changes that are taking place ; to 
ascertain all the changeable stars ; to determine the perio- 
dical variations of their light ; the revolutions of double and 
treple stars ; and the motions, and other phenomena pecu- 
liar to these great bodies, will furnish employment for fu- 
ture enlightened generations : and will perhaps form a part 
of the studies and investigations of superior intelligences, 
in a higher sphere of existence, during an indefinite lapse 
of ages. 

If every one of these immense bodies be a Sun, equal 
or superior to ours, and encircled <vith a host of planetary 
worlds, as we have every reason to conclude, (see pp. 40, 
70, 71,) how vast must be the extent of Creation ! how 
numerous the worlds and beings which exist within its 
boundless range ! and how great, beyond all human or 
angelic conception, must be the Power and Intelligence of 
that glorious Being, who called this system from nothing 
into existence, and continually superintends all its move- 
ments ! The mind is bewildered and confounded when it 
attempts to dwell on this subject ; it feels the narrow limits 
of its present faculties ; it longs for the power of a seraph, 
to enable it to take a more expansive flight into those re- 
gions which " eye hath not seen ;" and, while destitute of 
these, and chained down to tUis obscure corner of creation, 
it can only exclaim, in the language of inspiration, " Who 
can by searching find out God 1 — Great is our Lord, and 
of great power ; his understanding is infinite ! — Great and 
marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ! — Who 
can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah, who can show forth 
all his praise !" 

After what has been now stated in relation to the leading 
facts of astronomy, it would be needless to spend time in 
endeavoring to show its connection with religion. It will 
be at once admitted that all the huge globes of luminous 
and opaque matter, to which we have adverted, are the 
workmanship of Him " who is wonderful in counsel and 
excellent in working ;" and form a part of the dominions 
of that august Sovereign, " whose kingdom ruleth overall." 



ASTRONOMY. 225 

And shall it ever be insinuated that this^ubject has no re- 
lation to the great object of our adoration ] and that it is of 
no importance in our views of the Divinity, whether we 
conceive his dominions as circumscribed within the limits of 
little more than 25,000 miles, or as embracing an extent 
which comprehends innumerable worlds 1 The objects 
around us in this sublunary sphere strikingly evince the su- 
perintendence, the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator; 
but this science demonstrates, beyond all other departments 
of human knowledge, the Grandeur and Magnificence 
of his operations ; and raises the mind to sublimer views 
of his attributes than can be acquired by the contempla- 
tion o£ any other objects. A serious contemplation of the 
sublime objects which astronomy has explored, must, 
therefore, have a tendency to inspire us with profound ve- 
neration of the Eternal Jehovah — to humble us in the 
dust before his august presence — to excite admiration of 
his condescension and grace in the work of redemption — 
to show us the littleness of this world, and the insignifi- 
cance of those riches and honors to which ambitious men 
aspire with so much labor and anxiety of mind — to demon- 
strate the glory and magnificence of God's universal king- 
dom — to convince us of the infinite sources of varied feli- 
city which he has in his power to communicate to holy in- 
telligences — to enliven our hopes of the splendors of that 
" exceeding great and eternal weight of glory" which will 
burst upon the spirits of good men, when they pass from 
this region of mortality — and to induce us to aspire with 
more lively ardor after that heavenly world, where the 
glories of the Deity and the magnificence of his works 
will be more clearly unfolded. 

If, then, such be the effects which the objects of astro- 
nomy have a tendency to produce on a devout and enlight- 
ened mind — to call in question the propriety of exhibiting 
such views in religious publications, or in the course of 
religious instruction, would be an approach to impiety, 
and an attempt to cover with a veil the most illustrious 
visible displays of Divine glory. — It forms a striking evi- 
dence of the depravity of man, as well as of his want of true 
taste, and of a discernment of what is excellent, that the 
grandeur of the nocturnal heavens, and the perfections 



226 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

of Deity they proclaim, are beheld with so much apathy 
and indifference by the bulk of mankind. Though " the 
heavens declare the glory of God," in the most solemn 
and impressive language, adapted to the comprehension of 
every kindred and every tribe, yet " a brutish manknoweth 
not, neither doth a fool understand this." They can gaze 
upon these resplendent orbs with as little emotion as the 
ox that feeds on the grass, or as the horse that drags their 
carcasses along in their chariots. They have even at- 
tempted to ridicule the science of the heavens, to carica- 
ture those who have devoted themselves to such studies, 
and to treat with an indifference, mingled with contempt, 
the most august productions of Omnipotence. Such per- 
sons must be considered as exposing themselves to that 
Divine denunciation— "Because they regard not the works 
of Jehovah, neither consider the operations of his hands, 
he will destroy them and not build them up." If the 
structure of the heavens, and the immensity of worlds and 
beings they contain, were intended by the Creator to 
adumbrate, in some measure, his invisible perfections, and 
to produce a sublime and awful impression on all created 
intelligences, (see pp. 49 5 54, 62,) it must imply a high 
degree of disrespect to the Divinity, wilfully to overlook 
these astonishing scenes of Power and Intelligence. It is 
not a matter of mere taste or caprice, whether or not we 
direct our thoughts to such subjects, but an imperative 
duty to which we are frequently directed in the word of 
God ; the wilful neglect of which, where there is an op- 
portunity of attending to it, must subject us to all that is 
included in the threatening now specified, if there be any 
meaning in language. 

That the great body of professed Christians are absolute 
strangers to the sublime sentiments which a serious con- 
templation of the heavens inspires, must be owing in part 
to the minds of Christian parents and teachers not having 
been directed to such subjects, or to the views they enter- 
tain respecting the relation of such contemplations to the 
objects of religion. In communicating religious instruct- 
ion, in reference to the attributes of God, the heavens are 
seldom referred to, except in such a vague and indefinite 
manner as can produce no deep or vivid impression on 



ASTRONOMY. 227 

the mind, and many pious persons, whose views have been 
confined to a narrow range of objects, have been disposed 
to declaim against such studies, as if they had a tendency 
to engender pride and self-conceit, and as if they were 
even dangerous to the interests of religion and piety. How 
very different were the feelings and the conduct of the 
sacred writers ! They call upon every one of God's intel- 
ligent offspring to " stand still, and consider the wondrous 
works of the Most High;" and describe the profound 
emotions of piety which the contemplation of them pro- 
duced on their own minds : " Lift up your eyes on high 
and behold ! Who hath created these things ! The hea- 
vens declare the glory of God, and the rirmament showeth 
his handy-work. When 1 consider thy heavens, the work 
of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast or- 
dained — what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the 
son of man that thou visitest him ! Thou, even thou art 
Lord alone ; thou hast made heaven, and the heaven of 
heavens with all their host, and thou preservest them all ; 
and the hosts of heaven worship thee. All the gods of the 
nations are idols ; but the Lord made the heavens : Ho- 
nor and Majesty are before him. Jehovah hath prepared 
his throne in the heavens ; and his kingdom ruleth over 
all. Sing praises unto God ye kinadoms of the earth, to 
him that rideth on the heaven of heavens. Ascribe ye 
power to our God ; for his strength is in the heavens. 
Praise him for his mighty acts, praise him according to his 
excellent greatness." If we would enter with spirit into 
such elevated strains of piety, we must not content our- 
selves with a passing and vacant stare at the orbs of hea- 
ven, as if they were only so many brilliant studs fixed in 
the canopy of the sky ; but must %i consider" them, with 
fixed attention, in all the lights in which revelation and 
science have exhibited them to our view, if we wish to 
praise God for his mighty works, and " according to his 
excellent greatness." And for this purpose, the conclu- 
sions deduced by those who have devoted themselves to 
celestial investigations, ought to be presented to the view 
of the intelligent Christian, that he may be enabled to 
" speak of the glory of Jehovah's kingdom, and to talk of 
his power." 



228 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

NATURAL PniLOSOPHY. 

Having, in the preceding sketches, considerably exceed- 
ed the limits originally prescribed for this department of my 
subject, I am reluctantly compelled to despatch the re- 
maining sciences with a few brief notices. 

The object of Natural Philosophy is, to observe and de- 
scribe the phenomena of the material universe, with a view 
to discover their causes, and the laws by which the Almigh- 
ty directs the movements of all bodies in heaven and on 
earth. It embraces an investigation of the laws of gravita- 
tion, by which the planets are directed in their motions — 
the laws by which water, air, light, and heat, are regula- 
ted, and the effects they produce in the various states in 
which they operate — the nature of colors, sounds, electri- 
city, galvanism, and magnetism, and the laws of their ope- 
ration — the causes which operate in the production of 
thunder, lightning, luminous and fiery meteors, hail, rain, 
snow, dew, and other atmospherical phenomena. In 
short, it embraces all the objects of Natural History for- 
merly alluded to, with a view to ascertain the causes of 
their varied appearances, and the principles that operate in 
the changes to which they are subject ; or, in other words, 
the law 7 s by which the diversified phenomena of universal 
nature are produced and regulated. One subordinate use 
of the knowledge derived from this science, is, to enable 
us to construct all those mechanical engines which facili- 
tate human labor, and increase the comforts of mankind, 
and all those instruments which tend to enlarge our views 
of the operations of nature. A still higher and nobler 
use to which philosophy is subservient, is, to demonstrate 
the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Great First Cause of 
all things, and to enlarge our conceptions of the admira- 
ble contrivance and design which appear in the different 
departments of universal nature. In this view, it may be 
considered as forming a branch of Natural Theology, or, 
in other words, a branch of the religion of angels, and of 
all other holy intelligences. 

This department of Natural science has generally been 
divided into the following branches : — 

I. Mechanics. — This branch, considered in its most 
extensive range, includes an investigation of the general 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 229 

properties of matter ; such as solidity, extension, divisi- 
bility, motion, attraction, and repulsion — the laws of gravi- 
tation, and of central forces, as they appear to operate in 
the motions of the celestial bodies ; and on the surface of 
our globe, in the phenomena of falling bodies, the motions 
of projectiles, the vibration of pendulums, &c. — the theo- 
ry of machines, the principles on which their energy de- 
pends ; the properties of the mechanical powers — the lever. 
the wheel, and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the 
wedge, and the screiv — and the effects resulting from their 
various combinations. From the investigations of philo- 
sophers on these subjects, we learn the laws by \vhich tlu 
great bodies of the universe are directed in their motions ; 
the laws which bind together the different portions of mat- 
ter on the surface of the earth, and which regulate the 
motions of animal, vegetable, and inanimate nature ; and 
the principles on which cranes, mills, wheel-carriages, pile- 
engines, thrashing-machines, and other engines are con- 
structed ; by means uf which, man has been enabled to 
accomplish operations far beyond the limits of his own 
physical powers. 

Without a knowledge of the laws of motion, and assist* 
once from the combined effects of the mechanical powers, 
man would be a very limited being ; his enjoyments would 
be few, and his active energies confined within a very nar- 
row range. In a savage state, ignorant of manufactures, 
agriculture, architecture, navigation, and the other ar\> 
which depend upon mechanical combinations, he is expo- 
sed, without shelter, to the inclemencies of the seasons ; 
he is unable to transport himself beyond seas and oceans, 
to visit other climes, and other tribes of his fellow-men; he 
exists in the desert, comfortless and unimproved ; the fer- 
tile soil over which he roams, is covered with thorns, and 
briers, and thickets, for the haunt of beasts of prey ; his en- 
joyments are little superior to those of the lion, the hyena, 
and the elephant, while he is much their inferior in point 
of agility and physical strength. But, when Philosophy has 
once demonstrated the principles of Mechanics, and intro- 
duced the practice of the useful Arts, "the wilderness and 
the solitary place are made glad, and the desert rejoi- 
and blossoms as the rose." Cities are founded, and gradu- 

20 



230 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

ally rise to opulence and splendor ; palaces and temple? 
are erected ; the damp cavern, and the rush-built hut, are 
exchanged for the warm and comfortable apartments of a 
substantial mansion ; ships are built, and navigated across 
the ocean ; the treasures of one country are conveyed to 
another ; an intercourse is carried on between the most 
distant tribes of mankind ; commerce flourishes, and ma- 
chinery of all kinds is erected, for facilitating human labor, 
and promoting the enjoyments of man. And, when the 
principles and the practice of " pure and undefiled religion'' 
accompany these physical and mechanical operations, love 
and affection diffuse their benign influence ; the prospect 
brightens as years roll on, and man advances with pleasure 
and improvement to the scene of his high destination. 

II. Hydrostatics treats of the pressure and equilibrium 
of fluids. From the experiments which have been made 
in this branch of philosophy, the following important 
principles, among many others, have been deduced : — 

(1.) That the surface of all waters ivhich have a commu- 
nication whilst they are at rest, will he perfectly level, — 
This principle will be more clearly understood by an in- 
spection of the following figures. If water be poured into 
the tube A, (Fig. 1.) it will run through the horizontal 
tube E, and rise in the opposite tube B, to the same heish- 



Fig. 1, jj Fig. 2, 



A 



B 





NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 231 

at which it stands at A. It is on this principle that water 
is now conveyed under ground, through conduit pipes, and 
made to rise to the level of the fountain whence it is drawn. 
The city of Edinburg, a considerable part of which is ele- 
vated above the level of the surrounding country, is sup- 
plied with water from a reservoir on the Pentland hills, 
several miles distant. The water is conveyed in leaden 
pipes down the declivity of the hill, along the interjacent 
plain, and up to the entrance of the castle, whence it is 
distributed to all parts of the city. If the point A repre- 
sent the level of the reservoir, C D will represent the 
plain along which the water is conveyed, and B the eleva- 
tion to which it rises on the castle hill. On the same 
principle, and in a similar manner, the city of London is 
supplied with water irom the water-works at London 
Bridge. Had the ancients been acquainted with this sim- 
ple but important principle, it would have saved them the 
labor and expense of rearing those stupendous works of 
art, the .ft qn.pdn.cts, which consisted of numerous arches of 
a vast size, and sometimes piled one above another. 

Fig. 2. represents the syphon, the action of which de- 
pends upon the pressure of the atmosphere. If this in- 
strument be filled with water, or any other liquid, and the 
shorter leg G, plunged to the bottom of a cask, or other 
vessel containing the same liquid, the water will run out at 
the longer leg F, till the vessel be emptied, in consequence 
of the atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the liquid. 
On this principle, water tnay be conveyed over a rising 
ground to any distance, provided the perpendicular height 
of the syphon above the surface of the water in the foun- 
tain, does not exceed 32 or 33 feet. On the same princi- 
ple are constructed the fountain at command, the cup of 
Tantalus, and other entertaining devices. The same 
principle, too, enables us to account for springs which are 
sometimes found on the tops of mountains, and for the 
phenomena of intermitting springs, or those which flow 
and stop by regular alternations. 

(2.) Any quantity of fluid, however small, may be made 
to counterpoise any quantity, however large. This is what 
has generally been termed the Hydrostatical Paradox ; 
and from this principle it follows, that a given quantity ot 



232 THE CHRISTIAiN PHILOSOPHER. 

water may exert a force several hundred times greater cm 
less, according to the manner in which it is employed. 
This force depends on the height of the column of water, 
independent of its quantity ; for its pressure depends on 
its perpendicular height. By means of water conveyed 
through a very small perpendicular tube of great length, 
a very strong hogshead has been burst to pieces, and the 
water scattered about with incredible force. On this 
principle, the hydrostatic press, and other engines of 
immense power, have been constructed. 

(3.) Every body which is heavier than water, or which 
sinks in it, displaces so much of the water as is equal to the 
bulk of the body immersed in the water. On this principle, 
the specific gravities, or comparative weight, of all bodies- 
are determined. It appears to have been first ascertained 
by Archimedes, and by means of it he determined that the 
golden crown of the king of Syracuse had been adultera- 
ted by the workmen, From this principle we learn, among 
many other things, the specific gravity of the human body: 
and that four pounds of cork will preserve a person 
weighing 135 pounds from sinking, so that he may re- 
main with his head completely above water. 

Hydraulics, which has sometimes been treated as a dis- 
tinct department of mechanical philosophy, may be con- 
sidered as a branch of Hydrostatics. It teaches us what 
relates to the motion of fluids, and how to estimate their 
velocity and force. On the principles of this science, all 
machines worked by water are constructed — as steam en- 
gines, water-mills, common and forcing pumps, syphons. 
fountains, and fire-engines. 

III. Pneumatics. — This branch of philosophy treats ot 
the nature and properties of the atmosphere, and of their 
effects on solid and fluid bodies. From this science we 
learn, that air has weight, and presses on all sides, like 
other fluids ; that the pressure of the atmosphere upon the 
top of a mountain, is less than on a plain beneath ; that it 
presses upon our bodies with a weight of several thousand 
pounds more at one time than at another ; that air can be 
compressed into forty thousand times less space than it 
naturally occupies ; that it is of an elastic or expansive 
nature, and that the force of its spring is equal to its 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY* 233 

weight ; that its elasticity is increased by heat ; that it is 
necessary to the production of sound, the support of flame 
and animal life, and the germination and growth of all 
kinds of vegetables. 

These positions arc proved and illustrated by such ex- 
periments as the following : — The general pressure of the 
atmusphere is proved by such experiments as those detail- 
ed in No. II. of the Appendix. The following experiment 
proves that air is compressible. If a glass tube, open at 
one end and closed at the other, be plunged with the open 
end downwards into a tumbler of water, the water will 
rise a little way in the tube ; which ?hows that the air 
which filled the tube is compressed by the water into a 
smaller space. The elasticity of air is proved by tying up 
a bladder, with a very small quantity of air within it, and 
putting it under the receiver of an air-pump, when it will 
be seen gradually to inflate till it becomes of its full size. 
A similar effect would take place by carrying the bladder 
to the higher regions of the atmosphere. On the com- 
pression and elasticity of the air, depends the construction 
of that dangerous and destructive instrument, the Air-gun. 
That it is capable of being rarified by heat, is proved by 
holding to the fire a half-biown bladder, lightly tied at the 
neck, when it will dilate to nearly its full size ; and if either 
a full-blown bladder, or a thin glass bubble filled with air, 
be held to a strong fire it svill burst. The elasticity of the 
air is such that Mr. Boyle, by means of an air-pump, 
caused it to dilate till if occupied fourteen thousand times 
the space that it usually does. — That air is necessary to 
sound, flame, animal and vegetable life, is proved by the 
following experiments : — When the receiver of an air- 
pump is exhausted of its air, a cat, a mouse, or a bird, 
placed in it, expires in a few moments, in the greatest ago- 
nies. A bell rung in the same situation produces no 
sound ; and a lighted candle is instantly extinguished. 
Similar experiments prove that air is necessary for the flight 
of birds, the ascent of smoke and vapors, the explosion ot 
gun-powder, and the growth of plants ; and that all bodies 
descend equally swift in a place void of air ; a guinea and 
a feather being found to fall to the bottom of an exhausted 
receiver at the same instant. 

20* 



234 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

On the principles which this science has established, 
have been constructed the air-pump, the barometer, the 
thermometer, the diving-bell, the hygrometer, the conden- 
ser, and various other instruments which have contributed 
to the comfort of human life, and to the enlargement of 
our knowledge of the constitution of nature. 

IV. Acoustics.— This science treats of the nature, the 
phenomena, and the laws of sound, and the theory of mu- 
sical concord and harmony. From the experiments which 
have been made on this subject, we learn, that air is es- 
sential to the production of sound ; that it arises from vi~ 
hrations in the air, communicated to it by vibrations of the 
sounding body ; that these vibrations, or aerial pulses, are 
propagated all around in a spherical undulatory manner ; 
that their density decreases, as the squares of the distances 
from the sounding body increase ; that they are propagated 
together in great numbers from different bodies, without 
disturbance or confusion, as is evident from concerts of 
musical instruments ; that water, timber, and flannel, are 
also good conductors of sound ; that sound travels at the 
rate of 1142 feet in a second, or about thirteen miles in a 
minute; that the softest whisper flies as fast as the loudest 
thunder ; and that the utmost limits within which the 
loudest sounds, produced by artificial means, can be heard. 
is 180 or 200 miles;* that sound striking against an ob- 
stacle, as the wall of a house, may, like light, be reflected, 
and produce another sound, which is called an echo ; and 
that, after it has been reflected from several places, it may 
be collected into one point or focus, where it will be more 
audible than in any other place. On these principles, 
whispering galleries, speaking trumpets, and other acoustic 
instruments, are constructed. 

V. Optics. — This branch of philosophy treats of vision. 



* In the war between England and Holland, in 1672, the noise of 
the guns was heard in those parts of Wales -which were estimated to 
be two hundred miles distant from the scene of action. But the 
sounds produced by volcanoes have been heard at a much greater 
distance; some instances of which are stated in Chap. IV. Sect. 2. 
Several other facts in relation to sound, are detailed in Chap. 111. 
Art, Acoustic Tunnels. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 235 

light, and colors, and of the various phenomena of visible 
objects produced by the rays of light, reflected from mir- 
rors, or transmitted through lenses. From this science 
we learn, \hat light flies at the rate of nearly twelve mil- 
lions of miles every minute — that it moves in straight lines 
— that its particles may be several thousands of miles dis- 
tant from each other — that every visible body emits parti- 
cles of light from its surface, in all directions — that the 
particles of light are exceedingly small ; for a lighted candle 
will fill a cubical space of two miles every way with its 
rays, before it has lost the least sensible part of its sub- 
stance ; and millions of rays> from a thousand objects, will 
pass through a hole not larger than the point of a needle, 
and convey to the mind an idea of the form, position, and 
color of every individual object — that the intensity, or de- 
gree of light decreases, as the square of the distance from 
the luminous body increases ; that is, at two yards distance 
from a candle, we shall have only the fourth part of the 
light we should have at the distance of one yard ; at three 
yards distance, the ninth part ; at four yards, the sixteenth 
part, and so on — that glass lenses may be ground into the 
following forms ; plano-convex, plano-concave, double con- 
vex, double concave, and meniscus, that is, convex on one 
side, and concave on the other — that specula, or mirrors, 
may be ground into either a spherical, parabolical, or cy- 
lindrical form — that, by means of such mirrors and lenses, 
the rays of light may be so modified as to proceed either 
in a diverging, converging, or parallel direction, and the 
images of visible objects represented in a variety of new 
forms, positions, and magnitudes — that every ray of white 
light may be separated into seven primary colors : red, 
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet — that the 
variegated coloring which appears on the face of nature is 
not in the objects themselves, but in the light which falls 
upon them — that the rainbow is produced by the refraction 
and reflection of the solar rays in the drops of falling rain 
— that the rays of light are refracted, or bent out of their 
course, when they fail upon glass, water, and other me- 
diums — that the light of the sun may be collected into a 
point, or focus, and made to produce a heat more intent 



23G THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

than that of a furnace* — that the rays from visible objects, 
when reflected from a concave mirror, converge to a focus, 
and paint an image of the objects before it, and that when 
they pass through a convex glass, they depict an image- 
behind it. 

On these and other principles demonstrated by this sci- 
ence, the Camera Obscura 5 the Magic Lantern, the Phan- 
tasmagoria, the Kaleidoscope, the Heliostata, the Micro- 
meter — Spectacles, Opera Glasses, Prisms, single, com- 
pound, lucernal and solar Microscopes, reflecting and re- 
fracting Telescopes, and other optical instruments, have 
been constructed, by means of which the natural powers 
of human vision have been wonderfully increased, and our 
prospects into the works of God extended far beyond what 
former ages could have conceived. 

VI. Electricity. — This name has been given to a 
science which explains and illustrates the operations of a 
very subtile fluid, called the electric fluid, which appears to 
pervade every part of nature, and to be one of the chief 
agents employed in producing many of the phenomena of 
the material world. If a piece of amber, sealing wax, or 
sulphur be rubbed with a piece of flannel, it will acquire 
the power of attracting small bits of paper, feathers, or 



+ This is produced by means of lenses, or mirrors of a large diame- 
ter, called burning-glasses. By these instruments the hardest metals, 
on which common fires, and even glass-house furnaces, could produce 
no effect, have been melted in a few seconds. M. Villette, a French- 
man, nearly a century ago constructed a mirror, three feet eleven 
inches in diameter, and three feet two inches in focal distance, which 
melted copper ore in eight seconds, iron ore in twenty-four seconds, a 
fish's tooth in thirty-two seconds, cast iron in sixteen seconds, a silver 
sixpence in seve~ second*, and tin in three seconds. This mirror con- 
densed the solar rays 17,257 times, a degree of heat which is about 
four hundred and ninety times greater than common fire. Mr. Par- 
ker, of London, constructed a lens three feet in diameter, and six 
feet eight inches focus, which weighed 212 pounds. It melted twen- 
ty grains of gold in four seconds, and ten grains of platina in three 
seconds. The power of burning glasses is, as the area of the hns di- 
rectly^ and the square of the focal distance inversely — or, in other 
words, the broader the mirror or lens, ar;d the shorter the focal dis- 
tance, the more intense is the heat produced by such instruments. 
A globular decante; of water makes a powerful burning-glass ;. and 
house furniture has been set on fire by incautiously exposing it to th? 
rays of the sun. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 237 

other light substances. If a tube of glass, two or three 
feet in length, and an inch or two in diameter, be rubbed 
pretty hard, in a dark room, with a piece of dry woollen 
cloth, besides attracting light substances, it will emit 
flashes of fire, attended with a crackling noise. This lu- 
minous matter is called electricity, or the electric fluid. If 
a large globe, or cylinder of glass, be turned rapidly round, 
and made to rub against a cushion, streams and large sparks 
of bluish flame will be elicited, which will fly round the 
glass, attract light bodies, aud produce a pungent sensa- 
tion, if the hand be held to it. This glass, with all its re- 
quisite apparatus, is called an electrical machine. It is 
found that this fluid will pass along some bodies, and not 
along others. The bodies over w 7 hich it passes freely are 
water, and most other fluids, except oil and the aerial fluids ; 
iron, copper, lead, and, in general, all the metals, semi-me- 
tals, and metallic ores ; which are therefore called conduc- 
tors of electricity. But it will not pass over glass, resin, 
wax, sulphur, silk, baked woods, or dry woollen substances ; 
nor through air, except by force, in Sparks, to short dis- 
tances. These bodies are, therefore, called non-conduc- 
tors. 

The following facts, among others, have been ascer- 
tained respecting this wonderful agent : — That all bodies, 
with which we are acquainted, possess a greater or less 
share of this fluid — that the quantity usually belonging to 
any body, produces no sensible effects ; but when any sur- 
face becomes possessed of more or less than its natural 
share, it exhibits certain appearances, in the form of light, 
sound, attraction, or repulsion, which are ascribed to the 
power called electric — that there are two different species 
of the electrical fluid, or, at least, two different modifica- 
tions of the same general principle, termed positive and ne- 
gative electricity — that positive and negative electricity 
always accompany each other ; for if a substance acquire 
the one, the body with which it is rubbed acquires the other 
— that it moves with amazing rapidity; having been trans- 
mitted through wires of several miles in length, without 
taking up any sensible space of time ; and, therefore, it ifi 
not improbable, that were an insulated conducting sub- 
stance extended from one continent to another, it might b< 



238 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

made to fly to the remotest regions of the earth in a few 
seconds of time — that it has a power of suddenly contract- 
ing the muscles of animals, or of giving a shock to the ani- 
mal frame — that this shock may be communicated at the 
same instant to a hundred persons, or to any indefinite 
number who form a circle, by joining their hands together 
— that it may be accumulated to such a degree as to kill 
the largest animals — that vivid sparks of this fluid, attended 
with a crackling noise, may be drawn from different parts 
of the human body, when the person is insulated, or stands 
upon a stool supported by glass feet — that electricity sets 
fire to gun-powder, spirits of wine, and other inflammable 
substances — that it melts iron wire, and destroys the pola- 
rity of the magnetic needle — that it augments the natural 
evaporation of fluids, promotes the vegetation of plants, 
and increases the insensible perspiration of animals ; and 
can be drawn from the clouds by means of electrical kites, 
and other elevated conductors. By means of the electrical 
power, small models of machinery have been set in action : 
orreries to represent the movements of the planets have 
been put in motion ; and small bells have been set a-ringing 
for a length of time ; and. in consequence of the knowledge 
we have acquired, of the mode of its operation in the sys- 
tem of nature, the lightnings of heaven have been arrested 
in their course, and constrained to descend to the earth, 
without producing any injurious effects. 

From these, and a variety of other fa.cts and experiments, 
it is now fully ascertained, that lightning and electricity 
are identical; and that it is the prime agent in producing 
the awful phenomena of a thunder-storm ; the lightning 
being the rapid motion of vast masses of electric matter, 
and thunder, the noise, with its echoes, produced by the 
rapid motion of the lightning through the atmosphere. — 
There can be little doubt that, in combination with steam, 
the gases, and other agents, it also produces many of the 
terrific phenomena of earthquakes, volcanoes, whirlwinds, 
water-spouts, and hurricanes, and the sublime coruscations 
of the aurora boreaUs. — In the operations of this powerful 
fluid we behold a striking display of the sovereignty and 
majestic agency of God. In directing its energies, (t his 
way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 239 

ilie dust of his feet ; the heavens are covered with sackcloth, 
the mountains quake before him, the hills melt, the earth 
is burned at his presence, and rocks are thrown down by 
him :" Neh. i. 3 — 6. It is easy to conceive that, by a few 
slight modifications produced by the hand of Omnipotence, 
this powerful fluid might become the agent of producing 
either the most awful and tremendous, or the most glo- 
rious and transporting, scenes, over every region of our 
globe. As it now operates, it is calculated to inspire us 
rather with awe and terror than with admiration and joy ; 
and to lead our thoughts to a consideration of the state of 
man as a depraved intelligence, and a rebel against his 
Maker. 

VII. Galvanism is intimately connected with electrici- 
ty, though it is generally considered as a branch of Che- 
mistry. It is only another mode of exciting electrical 
action. In electricity the effects are produced chiefly by 
mechanical action ; but the effects of Galvanism are pro- 
duced by the chemical action of bodies upon each other. 
If we take a piece of zinc, and place it under the tongue, 
and lay a piece of silver, as big as a half-crown, above it ; 
by bringing the outer edges of these pieces in contact, we 
shall immediately experience a peculiar and disagreeable 
taste, like that of copper. The same thing may be no- 
ticed with a guinea and a piece of charcoal. If a per- 
son, in the dark, put a slip of tinfoil upon one of his 
eyes, and a piece of silver in his mouth, by causing these 
pieces to communicate, a faint flash will appear before his 
eyes. If a living frog, or a fish, having a slip of tinfoil 
pasted upon its back, be placed upon a piece of zinc, bv 
forming a communication between the zinc and tinfoil", 
the spasms of the muscles are excited. These and simi- 
lar effects are produced by that modification of electricity 
which has been termed Galvanism. Three different con- 
ductors, or what is called a galvanic circle, are requisite to 
produce such effects. A piece of copper, a piece of flannel, 
moistened with water or acid, and a piece of zinc, laid upon 
one another, form a circle ; and if this circle be repeated a 
number of times, a galvanic pile or battery may be formed, 
capable of giving a powerful shock. The most common 
and convenient form, however, of a battery, is found to 



240 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

be a trough of baked wood, three or four inches deep and 
as many wide. In the sides are grooves, opposite to each 
other, into each of which is placed a double metallic plate 
of zinc and copper soldered together, and the cells are 
then filled either with salt and water, or with a solution of 
nitrous acid and water. 

By means of the galvanic agency, a variety of surprising 
effects have been produced. Gunpowder, cotton, and 
other inflammable substances, have been inflamed — char- 
coal has been made to burn, with a most brilliant and 
beautiful white flame — water has been decomposed into 
its elementary parts — metals have been melted and set on 
Are — fragments of diamond, charcoal, and plumbago have 
been dispersed, as if they had been evaporated — platina, 
the hardest and heaviest of the metals, has been melted as 
readily as wax in the flame of a candle — the sapphire, 
quartz, magnesia, lime, and the firmest compounds in na- 
ture, have been made to enter into fusion. Its effects on 
the animal system are no less surprising. When applied 
to a fowl or a labbit, immediately after life is extinct, it 
produces the most strange and violent convulsions on the 
nervous and muscular system, as if the vital functions were 
again revived : and when applied to the human body after 
death, the stimulus has produced the most horrible con- 
tortions and grimaces in the muscles of the bead and face : 
and the most rapid movements in the hands and feet. 

The galvanic agency enables us to account for the fol- 
lowing among other facts : — Why porter has a different 
and more pleasant taste, when drank out of a pewter ves- 
sel, than out of glass or earthen ware, — why a silver 
spoon is discolored when used in beating eggs — why the 
limbs of people, under amputation, are sometimes con- 
vulsed by the application of the instruments, — why pure 
mercury is oxydized when amalgamated with tin, — why 
works of metal, which are soldered together, soon tar- 
nish in the places where the metals are joined, — and why 
the copper sheathing of ships, when fastened with iron 
nails, are soon corroded about the place of contact. In 
all these cases a galvanic circle is formed which produces 
the effects. We have reason to believe, that, in combina- 
tion with the discoveries which modern chemistry is dailv 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 241 

unfolding, the agencies of this fluid will enable us to carry 
the arts forward towards perfection, and to trace the secret 
causes of some of the sublimest phenomena of nature. 

VIII. Magnetism. — This department of philosophy de- 
scribes the phenomena and the properties of the loadstone, 
or natural magnet. The natural magnet is a hard, dark- 
colored mineral body, and is usually found in iron mines. 
The following are some of its characteristic properties : — 
1. It attracts iron and steel, and all substances which con- 
tain iron in its metallic state. 2. If a magnet be suspended 
by a thread, or nicely poised on a pivot, or placed on a 
piece of wood and set to float in a basin of water, one 
end will constantly point nearly towards the north pole of 
the earth, and the other towards the south ; and hence 
these parts of the magnet have been called the north and 
south poles, 3. When the north pole of one magnet is 
presented near to the south pole of another, they will attract 
each other ; but if the north pole of one be presented to the 
north pole of another, or a south pole to a south, they will 
repel each other. 4. A magnet placed in such a manner as 
to be entirely at liberty, inclines one of its poles to the 
horizon, and of course elevates the other above it. This 
property is called the dipping of the magnet. 5. Magnets 
do not point directly north and south; but in different parts 
of the world with a different declination eastward or west- 
ward of the north ; it is also different at the same place at 
different times. In London, and in most places in Great 
Britain, the magnetic needle, at present, points about 
24 degrees to the west of north. For more than 160 
years it has been gradually declining from the north to the 
west; but seems of late to have begun its declination to 
the eastward. 6. Any magnet may be made to commu- 
nicate the properties now mentioned to any piece of iron 
or steel. For example, by gently rubbing a penknife with 
a magnet, it will be immediately invested with the pro- 
perty of attracting needles, or small pieces of iron or steel. 
7. Heat weakens the power of a magnet, and the gradual 
addition of weight increases the magnetic power. 8. The 
properties of the magnet are not affected either by the pre- 
sence or the absence of air ; and the magnetic attraction 
is not in the least diminished by the interposition of an\ 

21 



242 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

bodies except iron. A magnet will equally affect the needle 
of a pocket compass when a thick board is placed between 
them as when it is removed.— It has been lately discovered 
that the violet rays of the solar spectrum, when condensed 
with a convex glass, and made to pass along apiece of steel, 
have the power of communicating to it the magnetic virtue. 

The cause which produces these singular properties of 
the magnet, has hitherto remained a mystery ; but the 
knowledge of the polarity of the magnet has been applied 
to a most important practical purpose. By means of it, 
man has now acquired the dominion of the ocean, and has 
learned to trace his course through the pathless deep to 
every region of the globe. There can be little doubt that 
magnetism has an intimate connection with electricity, 
galvanism, light, heat, and chemical action ; and the dis- 
coveries which have been lately made, and the experi- 
ments which are now making by Morichini, Oersted, 
Abraham, Hansteen, Barlow, Beaufoy, and Scoresby, pro- 
mise to throw some light on this mysterious agent, and on 
the phenomena of nature with which it is connected. 

Such is a faint outline of some of the interesting subjects 
which Natural Philosophy embraces. Its relation to Re- 
ligion will appear from the following considerations : — 

1. Its researches have led to the invention of machines, 
engines, and instruments of various kin<;s, which augment 
the energies, increase the comforts, and promote the 
general improvement of mankind ; and these objects are 
inseparably connected with the propagation of Christianity 
through the world. If we admit that in future ages the 
religion of the Bible will shed its benign influence over all 
nations — that the external condition of the human race 
will then be prosperous and greatly meliorated beyond what 
it has ever been — and that no miraculous interposition of 
Deity is to be expected to bring about such desirable events 
— it will follow, that such objects can be accomplished only 
in the ordinary course of Providence, by rational investiga- 
tions into the principles and powers of Nature, and the ap- 
plication of the inventions of science to the great objects 
of religion, and of human improvement, as I shall en- 
deavor briefly to illustrate in the following chapter. As the 
destructive effects of many physical agents, in the present 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 243 

constitution of our globe, are doubtless a consequence of 
the sin and depravity of man, we have reason to believe 
that, when the economy of nature shall be more extensive- 
ly and minutely investigated , and the minds of men direct- 
ed to apply their discoveries to philanthropic and religious 
objects, they will be enabled to counteract, in a great mea- 
sure, those devastations and fatal effects which are now 
produced by several of the powers of nature. The ge- 
neral happiness of all ranks, which will be connected with 
the universal extension of Christianitv, necessarily sup- 
poses that this object will be accomplished ; for, were a 
dread of destruction from the elements of nature fre- 
quently to agitate the mind, as at present, no permanent 
tranquillity could be enjoyed ; nor would that ancient pre- 
diction, in reference to this era, receive its full accomplish- 
ment, that " there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all 
God's holy mountain, when the earth shall be full of the 
knowledge of the Lord." And since miraculous interpo- 
sitions are not to be expected, to what quarter can we 
look for those subordinate agencies by which this object is 
to be effected, but to the discoveries and inventions of phi- 
losophical science ? 

Science has already enabled us to remedy many of those 
evils which are the accidental effects of the operation of 
physical agents. For example — the discoveries of the phi- 
losopher, with respect to the nature of the electric fluid, 
have enabled us to construct conductors for preserving 
buildings from the stroke of lightning : and we have every 
reason to hope, that in the progress of electric, galvanic, 
and chemical science, more complete thunder-guards, ap- 
plicable to all the situations in which a person may be ex- 
posed, will be invented. Nay, our increasing knowledge 
of the electric fluid and of the chemical agents which con- 
cur in its operation, may enable us to dissipate thunder- 
storms altogether, by disturbing the electricity of the clouds 
by means of a series of elevated artificial conductors. 
This is not only possible, but has already been in some 
degree effected. The celebrated Euler informs us, in his 
" Letters to a German Princess," that he corresponded 
with a Moravian priest, named Divisch, who assured him 
;i that he had averted, during a whole summer, every thun- 



244 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

der-storm which threatened his own habitation, and the 
neighborhood, by means of a machine constructed on the 
principles of electricity — that the machinery sensibly at- 
tracted the clouds, and constrained them to descend quietly 
in a distillation, without any but a very distant thunder-clap." 
Euler assures us that " the fact is undoubted, and confirm- 
ed by irresistible proof." Yea, not only may the destruc- 
tive effects of lightning be averted by the inventions of phi- 
losophy, but its agency may be rendered subservient to hu- 
man industry, and made to act as a mechanical power. 
This effect, too, has been partially accomplished. About 
the year 1811, in the village of Philipsthal, in Eastern 
Prussia, an attempt was made to split an immense stone 
into a multitude of pieces, by means of lightning. A bar 
of iron, in the form of a conductor, was previously fixed 
to the stone, and the experiment was attended with the 
most complete success ; for, during the very first thunder- 
storm, the lightning burst the stone without displacing it.* 

It is therefore probable that in the future ages of the 
world, this terrific meteor, and other destructive agents, 
which now produce so much alarm, and so many disastrous 
effects, may, by the aid of philosophy, be brought under 
the control of man, and be made to minister to his enjoy- 
ment. 

The electric fluid has also been, in many instances, suc- 
cessfully applied in curing palsies, rheumatisms, spasms, 
obstructions and inflammation ; and it is known to have a 
peculiar effect on the nervous system. Lightning has 
been known to restore the blind to a temporary enjoyment 
of sight. Mr. Campbell, of Succoth, in Dumbartonshire, 
who had been blind for several years ; was led by his ser- 
vant one evening through the streets of Glasgow, during a 
terrible thunder-storm. The lightning sometimes fluttered 
along the streets for a quarter of a minute without ceasing. 
While this fluttering lasted, Mr. C. saw the street dis- 
tinctly, and the changes which had been made in that part 
by taking down one of the city gates. When the storm 
was over, his entire blindness returned. A still more re- 
markable instance is stated, along with this, under the arti* 



t See Monthly Magazine, vol. 32, p. 162. 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 245 

cle Thunder, in Dr. Gleig's Supp. to Ency. Brit, which 
was written by the late Professor Robison. It is also pos- 
sible that barren deserts might be enriched with fertility, 
and immense portions of the desolate wastes of our globe 
prepared for the support and accommodation of human 
beings, by arresting the clouds, and drawing down their 
electrical virtue and their watery treasures, by means of an 
extended series of elevated metallic conductors. "W hat has 
been now stated is only one instance, out of many which 
might be produced, of the extensive and beneficial effects 
which may be produced, in future ages, by the application 
of the discoveries of natural science. 

2. A knowledge of Natural Philosophy enables us to 
detect pretended miracles, and to discriminate between 
those phenomena which are produced by the powers of 
nature, and the supposed effects of diabolical influence. It 
has been chiefly owing to ignorance of the principles of na- 
tural science, that mankind in all ages have been so easi- 
ly imposed upon by pretenders to supernatural powers. It 
is owing to the same cause that superstitious notions and 
vain alarms have spread their influence so extensively among 
the lower ranks of the population of every country. The 
pretended miracles by which Pagan and Popish priests en- 
deavor to support the authority of their respective religious 
systems, and every species of degrading su perstition, vanish 
into smoke, when examined by the light of modern science ; 
and there can be no question that an enlightened Mission- 
ary would, in many instances, find the principles and the 
instruments of natural philosophy important auxiliaries in 
undermining the fabric of heathen idolatry and priestcraft. 
They tend to dissipate a thousand idle terrors which haunt 
and agitate the human mind ; to detect a thousand kinds of 
imposture by which it has been held in cruel bondage ; and 
to prevent the perpetration of those deeds of cruelty which 
have uniformly marked the reign of Superstition.* Had 

Mr. Douglas, in hia "Hints on Missions,*' formerly referred t©, 

when Bpeaking of the facilities which Christians now possess for ex- 

ive missionary exertions, suggests that Natural Philosophy might 

bo an important auxiliary to Christian Missionaries. l * All the an- 
cient • war weapons of victory,' excepting miracles, are at their dis- 
posal ; and new instruments of still greater potency, which the Bci< i 

21* 



246 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

our forefathers connected a knowledge of this subject with 
their study of the Scriptures, they would not have brought 
upon themselves that indelible disgrace which now attaches 
to their memories, on account of their having condemned 
and burned at the stake hundreds of unhappy women, ac- 
cused of crimes of which they could not possibly have been 
guilty. In New England, towards the close of the 17th 
century, the witchcraft phrenzy rose so high that the exe- 
cution of witches became a calamity more dreadful than the 
sword or the pestilence. Not only old women, but child- 
ren of ten years, were put to death ; young girls were 
stripped naked, and the marks of witchcraft searched for 
upon their bodies with the most indecent curiosity ; and 
those spots of the scurvy, which age impresses upon the 
bodies of old men, were taken for evident signs of infer- 
nal power. So that ignorance of the laws and phenomena 
of nature has led even Christians to commit acts of injustice 
and horrid cruelty. For let it be remembered, that it was 
Christian magistrates and ministers, under a pretended 
zeal for the honor of God, who sanctioned such cruel and 
unrighteous decrees. This consideration, viewed in con- 
nection with many others, tends to show that the Christian 
revelation, considered abstractly by itself, without a refe- 
rence to the visible system of the universe, is not sufficient 
for all the purposes for which it was intended ; as, on the 
other hand, the study of the works of nature is not suffi- 
cient of itself to lead the mind to the true knowledge of 
God, without the aid of the discoveries derived from the 
sacred oracles. For although the Bible has been in the 
hands of Protestant Christians ever since the reformation. 



of the latter days has been accumulating for a universal revolution of 
the mind, are ready to be brought into action, upon a scale of over- 
powering magnitude. Even the single resource which is lost, may 
yet be recompensed by equivalents, and a substitute, in many re- 
spects, may be found for miracles. The first effect of a miracle is to 
rouse the attention, and to overawe opposing prejudices ; the second. 
to afford a proof of the religion of which it is a sealing accompani- 
ment. The first object might be gained by the natural magic of expe- 
rimental philosophy : and as to the second, the difference in the prooi 
from miracles, lies rather in its being more circuitous, than in its 
being less conclusive at the present day, than in the times of the 
Apostles." 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 247 

yet it is only since the light of modern science began to 
diffuse its influence, that the superstitions of the dark ages, 
and the vulgar notions respecting witchcraft, necromancy, 
and other species of infernal agenry, began to vanish, 
even from the minds of Christian teachers ; as is evident 
from the writings of many eminent divines who flourished 
during the 16th and 17th centuries. As the two revelations 
which God has given us throw a mutual lustre on each 
other, the one must always be considered as incomplete 
without the other. Both are necessary, in order " to make 
the man of God perfect," and to enable him to prosecute, 
with intelligence and success, the great objects of religion ; 
and the Christian minister who affects to despise the aids 
of science in the cause of religion, has yet much to learn 
with respect to some of the grand bearings of the Christian 
system. 

3. The investigations of natural philosophy unfold to us 
the incessant agency of God, and the plans by which his 
wise and benevolent designs in the system of nature are 
accomplished. From the immeasurable globes of heaven, 
down to the minutest atoms, we perceive a regular chain 
of causes and effects, conspiring, in a thousand different 
modes, to accomplish the purposes of infinite wisdom and 
goodness. The operation of central forces, and of the law 
of gravitation on the earth and in the heavens — the hydros- 
tatical laws which regulate the pressure and the motion of 
fluids — the chemical properties of the atmosphere, its un- 
dulatory, refractive, and reflective powers — the motion of 
the rays of light, and the infinite variety of effects they pro- 
duce — the process of evaporation — the agencies of elec- 
tricity and galvanism — the properties of the magnet, and 
the chemical action of acids and alkalies, and of the minu- 
test particles of matter upon each other — ought to be view- 
ed as so many modifications of the agency of Deity, and 
as manifestations of his Wisdom in carrying forward those 
plans which regard the interests of his universal kingdom ; 
just as we consider the rise and fall of empires, the revolu- 
tions of nations, and the circulation of the Scriptures in 
heathen lands, as so many acts of his moral administration 
as the Governor of mankind. For, let it be carefully re- 
membered, that all these physical agencies have ultimately 



248 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

a moral and intellectual bearing ; and are essentially con- 
nected with every other part of God's providential proce- 
dure. Though we may be apt to consider them as so ma- 
ny detached and insulated pieces of machinery, with which 
we have little concern, or may even disdain to notice their 
mode of operation ; yet in the All-Comprehensive mind of 
Him who takes in, at one glance, the whole chain of 
causes and effects, they are as essentially connected with 
his ultimate purposes, and the eternal destiny of man, as 
are the revelations of his word. — Were a single principle 
or motion which now animates the system of nature to 
cease — were the agencies of electricity, for example, or 
the principle of evaporation, to be destroyed— the physical 
constitution of our globe would instantly be deranged ; na- 
ture would be thrown into confusion ; and the sentient and 
intellectual beings that now inhabit the earth would either 
be destroyed, or plunged into an abyss of misery. If, 
therefore, we admit that the moral agency of God is worthy 
of our contemplation, we ought to consider his physical 
operations also as no less worthy of our study and investi- 
gation, since they form the groundwork of all his other 
manifestations. 

There is nothing, however, which so strikingly character- 
izes the bulk of mankind, and even the great mass of the 
Christian world, as that apathy and indifference with which 
they view the wonders of creation which surround them. 
They can look on all that is grand, and beautiful, and be- 
neficent in nature, without feeling the least sentiment of 
admiration, or of gratitude to that being who is incessantly 
operating within them and around them ; and they are dis- 
posed to consider the experiments of philosophers, by 
which the wonderful agency of God is unveiled, as only so 
many toys and amusements for the entertainment of child- 
ren. They would prefer the paltry entertainments of a 
card-table, of a ball-room, or of a gossipping party, to the 
inspection of the nicest pieces of Divine mechanism, and 
to the contemplation of the most august scenes in nature. 
However lightly some religionists may be disposed to treat 
this subject, that spirit of indifference with which the visi- 
ble works of God are treated, must be considered as flowing 
from the same depraved principle which leads multitudes 



CHEMSITRY. 249 

to reject the revelations of the Bible, and to trifle with 
their everlasting interests. " Man," says Rollin, " lives 
in the midst of a world of which he is the sovereign, as a 
stranger, who loolu with indifference upon all that passes 
in it, and as if it was not his concern. The universe, in 
all its parts, declares and points out its Author ; but, for 
the most part, to the deaf and blind, who have neither ears 
to hear, nor eyes to see. One of the greatest services 
that philosophy can do us, is to awaken us from this 
drowsiness, and rouse us from this lethargy, which is a 
dishonor to humanity, and in a manner reduces us below 
the beasts, whose stupidity is the consequence of their na- 
ture, and not the effect of neglect or indifference. It 
awakens our curiosity, it excites our attention, and leads 
us as it were by the hand, through all the parts of nature, 
to induce us to study and search out the wonderful works 
of it." — Belles Lettres, vol. 4. 

Since, therefore, the science of natural philosophy is 
conversant about the works of the Almighty, and its inves- 
tigations liave a direct tendency to illustrate the perfections 
of his nature, to unveil the plan of his operations, to unfold 
the laws by which he governs the kingdom of universal 
nature, and to display the order, symmetry, and proportion, 
which reign throughout the whole — it would be needless 
to enter into any farther process of reasoning, to show that 
the study of it is connected with the great objects of reli- 
gion. Whatever studies tend to raise our minds to the 
Supreme Ruler of all worlds — to expand our views of his 
infinite knowledge and wisdom, to excite our gratitude, and 
our admiration of the beneficent designs which appear in 
all his arrangements — to guard us against erroneous con- 
ceptions of his providential procedure — and to furnish us 
with important auxiliaries for extending the influence of 
his religion through the world — must always be interesting 
to every Christian who wishes to -enlarge his intellectual 
views, and to make progress in the knowledge of God. 

CHEMISTRY. 

This science, which is intimately related to the pre- 
ceding, has for its object to ascertain the ingredients, or 
first principles, of which all mutter is composed — to exa- 



250 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

mine the compounds formed by the combination of these 
ingredients — to investigate those changes in natural bo- 
dies, which are not accompanied with sensible motion, 
and the nature of the power which produces these com- 
binations and changes. 

Within the limits of the last half century, the empire of 
Chemistry has been wonderfully extended. From an ob- 
scure and humble place among the objects of study, it has 
risen to a high and dignified station amon^ those sciences 
which improve and adorn the human mind. No longer 
confined to the paltry and mercenary object of searching 
for the philosopher's stone, or of furnishing a little amuse- 
ment, it now extends its sway over all the arts which mi- 
nister to the comfort and improvement of social life, and 
over every species of animate and inanimate matter, with- 
in the range of human investigation. " The forms and 
appearances, " (says Sir Humphry Davy,) " of the beings 
and substances of the external world, are almost infinitely 
various, and they are in a state of continued alteration. 
Even the earth itself, throughout its whole surface, under- 
goes modifications. Acted on by moisture and air, it af- 
fords the food of plants ; an immense number of vegetable 
productions arise from apparently the same materials ; 
these become the substance of animals ; one species of 
animal matter is converted into another ; the most perfect 
and beautiful of the forms of organized life ultimately de- 
cay, and are resolved into inorganic aggregates ; and the 
same elementary substances, differently arranged, are con- 
tained in the inert soil ; or bloom, and emit fragrance in 
the flower ; or become in animals the active organs of 
mind and intelligence. In artificial operations, changes of 
the same order occur : substances having tbe characters of 
earth are converted into metals ; clays arid sands are uni- 
ted, so as to become porcelain ; earths and alkalis are com- 
bined into glass ; acrid and corrosive matters are formed 
from tasteless substances ; colors are fixed upon stuffs ; or 
changed, or made to disappear; and the productions of the 
vegetable, mineral, and animal kingdoms, are converted in- 
to new forms, and made subservient to the purposes of ci- 
vilized lire.— To trace, in detail, these diversified and com- 
plicated phenomena ; to arrange them, and deduce general 



CHEMISTRY. 251 

laws from their analogies, is the business of Chemistry." 
--^Elements of Chemical Philosophy. 

Chemists have arranged the general forms of matter in- 
to the four following classes. The first class consists of 
Solids, which form the principal parts of the globe, and 
which differ from each other in hardness, color, opacity, 
transparency, density, and other properties. The second 
class consists of Fluids, such as water, oils, spirits, &c. 
whose parts possess freedom of motion, and require great 
mechanical force to make them occupy a smaller space. 
The third class comprehends Elastic Fluids, or Gases, 
which exist freely in the atmosphere ; but may be confined 
by solids and fluids, and their properties examined. Their 
parts are highly moveable, compressible, and expansive ; 
they are all transparent; they present two or three varie- 
ties of color ; and they differ greatly in density. The 
fourth class comprehends Ethereal Substances, which 
are known to us only in their states of motion, when acting 
upon our organs of sense, and which are not susceptible of 
being confined. Such are the rays of light, and radient 
heat, which are incessantly in motion, throughout the spaces 
that intervene between our globe, and the sun and the stars. 
Chemists divide the substances in nature also into Sim- 
ple and Compound. Simple Substances are those which 
have never yet been decomposed, nor formed by art. 
Compound Substances are those which are formed by the 
union of two or more simple substances. The following 
are all the simple substances, with which we are at present 
acquainted: Caloric, Light, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Car- 
bon, Hydrogen, Sulphur, Phosphorus, the Metals, 
and some of the Earths. — All that I propose under this 
article is, simply to state some of the properties of two or 
three of these simple substances. 

Caloric, or elementary fire, is the name now given by 
chemists to that element or property, which, combined 
with various bodies, produces the sensation of heat, while 
it is passing from one body to another. This substance 
appears to pervade the whole system of nature. There 
are six different sources from whence caloric may be pro- 
cured. It may be produced by combustion, in which pro- 
cess the oxygen gas of the atmosphere is decomposed, and 



252 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

caloric, one of its component parts set at liberty — by fric« 
Hon, or the rubbing of two substances against each other 
. — by percussion, as the striking of steel against a piece of 
fl m t — by the mixture of two or more substances, as when 
sulphuric acid is poured upon water or magnesia- — by e/ec- 
tricity and galvanism. The discharge of an electric or 
galvanic battery will produce a more intense degree of 
heat than any other means whatever. But the principal, 
and probably the original, source of caloric, is the Sun, 
which furnishes the earth with a regular supply for the sup- 
port and nourishment of the animal and vegetable tribes. 
From this source it moves at the rate of 195,000 miles in 
a second of time ; for it has been already stated that the 
sun sends forth rays of heat, which are distinct from those 
which produce illumination, and which accompany them 
in their course through the ethereal regions. 

Caloric is the cause of fluidity, in all substances which 
are capable of becoming fluid. A certain portion, or dose 
of it, reduces a solid body to the state of an incompressi- 
ble fluid ; a larger portion brings it to the state of an aeri- 
form or gaseous fluid. Thus a certain portion of caloric 
reduces ice to a state of water ; a larger portion converts 
it into steam or vapor. There is reason to believe that the 
hardest rocks, the densest metals, and every solid substance 
on the face of the earth, might be converted into a fluid, 
and even into a gas, were they submitted to the action of 
a very high temperature. This substance is called sensible 
caloric, when it produces the sensation of heat ; and latent 
caloric, when it forms an insensible part of the substance of 
bodies. — Ail bodies are, in a greater or less degree, conduc- 
tors of caloric. Metals and liquids are good conductors of 
heat, but silk, cotton, wool, wood, &c. are bad conductors 
of it. For example, if we put a short poker into the fire at 
one end, it will soon become hot at the other ; but this will 
not happen with a piece of wood of the same length and 
under the same circumstances. A person, with a silken 
purse containing metal coin, may stand so near the fire 
as to make the metal almost too hot to touch, though the 
temperature of the purse will apparently be scarce altered. 
If a hand be put upon a hot body, part of the caloric 
leaves the hot body and enters the hand, producing the 



CHEMISTRY. 253 

sensation of heat. On the contrary, if a hand be put on 
a cold body, as a piece of iron, or another cold hand, part 
of the caloric contained in the hand leaves it to unite with 
the eolder body, producing the sensation of cold. In 
short, caloric is diffused throughout all bodies, and enters 
into every operation in nature ; and, were it not for the in- 
fluence of this subtile fluid, there is reason to believe that 
the whole matter of the universe would be condensed into 
a solid mass. 

Oxygen is a very pure, subtile, elastic substance, 
generally diffused throughout nature ; but is never found 
unless in combination with other substances. It is one of 
the most important agents in nature ; there being scarcely 
a single process, whether natural or artificial, in which 
oxygen has not some important share. When combined 
with caloric, it is called oxygen gas, which forms one of 
the constituent parts of the atmosphere. In this state, it 
forms the principle of combustion ; producing the most 
rapid deflagration of all combustible substances. If a 
a lighted taper be let down into ajar of oxygen gas, it burns 
with such splendor that the eye can scarcely bear the 
glare of light ; and, at the same time, produces a much 
greater heat than when burning in common air. If a steel 
wire, or a thin file, having a sharp point armed with a bit 
of wood in inflamma'ion, be introduced into a jar filled 
with this gas, the steel will take fire, and its combustion 
will continue producing a most brilliant phenomenon. It 
has been proved, by numerous experiments, that this gas 
is so essential to combustion, that no substance will burn 
in common air, which has been previously deprived of its 
oxygen. It is also essential to the support of animal life : 
so that man, and all the inferior ranks of animated nature, 
may be said to depend upon this fluid for their existence. 
Its basis gives the acid character to all mineral and vege- 
table salts : and the calcination of metals is altogether 
effected by their union with oxygen. It constitutes the ba- 

both of the atmosphere which surrounds the earth, and 
of the water which forms its rivers, sea^, and oceans. It 
pervades the substance of all the vegetable tribes, and en- 
ables them to perform their functions ; and, in combina- 
tion with the different metals, serves the most important 



254 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

purposes in the useful arts. In the operation of this ele- 
mentary principle, we perceive a striking display of the; 
agency of the Creator, and of the admirable means which 
his wisdom has contrived for preserving in due order the 
system of nature. And as this wonderful substance is so 
essentially necessary to animal and vegetable existence, 
every thing is so arranged as to produce a regular supply 
of it, notwithstanding its incessant changes, and the mul- 
tifarious combinations into which it is continually enter- 
ing. 

One of the most extraordinary effects of oxygen ap- 
pears, when it is combined in a certain proportion with 
nitrogen, so as to form the gaseous oxide of nitrogen, or 
what is commonly caiied nitrous oxide. This g£s consists 
of 63 parts of nitrogen, and 37 oxygen, by weight. Vfhen 
inhaled into the lungs, it produces an extraordinary eleva- 
tion of the animal spirits, a propensity to leaping and run- 
ning, involuntary fits of laughter, a rapid flow of vivid 
ideas, and a thousand delightful emotions : without being- 
accompanied with any subsequent feelings of debility. 
This circumstance shows what a varietv of delightful or 
pernicious effects might flow from the slightest change in 
the constitution of the atmosphere, were the hand of the 
Almighty to interpose in altering the proportion of its con- 
stituent parts : for atmospheric air is composed of 79 parts 
of nitrogen, and 21 of oxygen, which is not a very differ- 
ent proportion from the above. Another gas called nitric 
oxide, composed of 56 parts oxygen, and 44 nitrogen, 
produces instant suffocation in all animals that attempt to 
breathe it. One of the most corrosive acids, the nitrous 
acid, or aquafortis, is composed of 75 parts oxygen, and 
25 parts nitrogen ; so that we are every moment breathing 
a certain substance, which, in another combination, would 
produce the most dreadful pain, and cause our immediate 
destruction. What a striking proof does this afford of 
the infinite comprehension of the Divine Mind, in foresee- 
ing all the consequences of the elements of nature, and in 
directing their numerous combinations in such a manner as 
to promote the happiness of animated beings ! 

Nitrogen, or azote, is a substance generally diffused 
throughout nature, and particularly in animated bodies. I f 



CHEMISTRY. 255 

is not to be found in a solid or liquid state, but combined 
with caloric it forms nitrogen gas, which is one of the in- 
gredients of the atmosphere. It is incapable of supporting 
either flame or animal life. This is proved by introducing 
an animal, or a burning candle, into a vessel full of this 
gas : in which case the animal is suddenly suffocated, and 
the candie instantly extinguished. It is this gas which is 
expelled from the lungs at every expiration, and, rising 
over our heads, soon enters into new combinations. 
Though it is destructive to animal life, it appears to be fa- 
vorable to plants, which vegetate freely when surrounded 
with nitrogen. 

Hydrogen is another elementary substance, abundant in 
nature, and when united to caloric, forms Hydrogen Gas. 
It is one of the constituent parts of icater ; for it has been 
completely demonstrated by experiment, that water is com- 
posed of 85 parts by weight of oxygen, and 15 of hydro- 
gen, in every hundred parts of the fluid. This gas was 
formerly known by the name of inflammable air. It is dis- 
tinguished among miners by the name of fire-damp ; it 
abounds in coal-mines, and sometimes produces the most 
tremendous explosions. It is incapable, by itself, of sup- 
porting combustion, and cannot be breathed without the 
most imminent danger. It is the chief constituent of oils, 
fats, spirits, ether, coals, and bitumen ; and is supposed to 
be one of the agents which produce the ignvs fatui, and 
the northern lights. It is ihe lightest of all ponderable bo- 
dies ; being from twelve to fifteen times lighter than com- 
mon air. A hundred cubic inches of it weigh about 2] 
grains. On account of its great levity, it is used for filling 
air balloons. In contact with atmospheric air, it burns 
with a pale blue color. When mixed with oxygen gas, it 
may be exploded, like gun-powder, with a violent report. 
Carburetted hydrogen gas, which is carbon dissolved in 
hydrogen, is that beautiful gas which is now employed in 
lighting our streets, shops, and manufactories. 

Caution is another simple substance, extensively diffused 
throughout nature. It is found pure and solid only in the 
diamond; but it may be procured in the Btate of charcoal. 
by burning a piece of wood closely covered with sand, in 

a crucible. Carbon enters into the composition of bitumen 



256 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and pit coal, and of most animal, and some mineral sub- 
stances ; and it forms nearly the whole of the solid basis of 
all vegetables, from the most delicate flower to the stately 
oak. It is also a component part of sugar, and of all kinds 
of wax, oils, gums, and resins. It combines with iron in 
various proportions, and the results are, cast iron and steel. 
Black lead is a composition of nine parts of carbon to one 
of iron ; and is therefore called a carburet of iron. Carbon 
is indestructible by age, and preserves its identity in all the 
combinations into which it enters. — Carbonic acid gas is 
a combination of carbon and oxygen. It is found in a state 
of combination with lime, forming limestone, marble, and 
chalk ; and may be separated from them by heat, or by 
means of the mineral acids. This gas. which was formerly 
ealled fixed air, is found in mines, caves, the bottoms ot 
wells, wine cellars, brewers' vats, and in the neighborhood 
of lime-kilns. It is known to miners by the name of the 
choke-damp, and too frequently runs on deadly errands. It 
extinguishes flame and animal life. It is the heaviest of 
all the gases ; being nearly twice the weight of common 
air, and twenty times the weight of hydrogen. It may 
therefore be poured from one vessel to another ; and if a 
small quantity of it be poured upon a lighted taper, it will 
be instantly extinguished. It is a powerful antiseptic, or 
preserver from putrefaction. Meat which has beeu sealed 
up in it (says Mr. Parkes) has been known to have pre- 
served its texture and appearance for more than 20 years. 
There is no substance of more importance in civilized life 
than the different forms of Carbon. " In nature," says 
Sir H. Davy, " this element is constantly active in an im- 
portant series of operations. It is evolved in fermentation 
and combustion, in carbonic acid ; it is separated from oxy- 
gen in the organs of plants ; it is a principal element in 
animal structures ; and is found in different forms in al- 
most all the products of organized beings." 

Sulphur is a substance which has been known from the 
earliest ages. It was used by the ancients in medicine. 
and its fumes have, for more than 2000 years, been em- 
ployed in bleaching wool. It is found combined with many 
mineral substances, as arsenic, antimony, copper, and most 
of the metallic ores. It exists in many mineral waters. 



CHEMISTRY. 257 

and in combination with vegetable and animal matter, but 
is most abundant in volcanic countries, particularly in the 
neighborhood of Vesuvius, Etna, and Hecla in Iceland. 
It is a solid, opaque, combustible substance, of a pale yel- 
low color, very brittle, and almost without taste or smell. 
Its speciiic gravity is nearly twice that of water ; it is a 
non-conductor of electricity, and of course becomes elec- 
tric by friction. When heated to the temperature of 170 c 
of Fahrenheit's thermometer, it rises up in the form of a 
line powder, which is easily collected in a proper vessel, 
and is named thefloiver of sulphur. It is insoluble in wa- 
ter, but may be dissolved in oils, in spirits of wine, and in 
hydrogen gas. When sulphur is heated to the temperature 
of 302° in the open air, it takes fire spontaneously, and 
burns with a pale blue flame, and emits a great quantity of 
fumes of a strong suffocating odour. When heated to the 
temperature of 570°, it burns with a bright w T hite flame, 
and emits a vast quantity of fumes. When these fumes 
are collected, they are found to consist entirely o\ sulphuric 
acid ; so that sulphur, by combustion, is converted into an 
acid. It is the base of several compound substances. 
It unites with oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, 
the alkalies, the metals, and some of the earths. This sub- 
stance is of great importance in medicine, as it is found to 
penetrate to the extremities of the most minute vessels, 
and to impregnate all the secretions. It is also used in 
the arts, particularly in bleaching and dying ; it forms a 
very large proportion of gunpowder ; and one of its most 
common, but not least useful properties, is that of its com- 
bustibility, by which, with the help of a tinder-box, light is 
almost instantaneously produced. As this substance has 
not yet been decomposed, it is considered by chemists, h: 
the mean time, as one of the simple substances. 

Phosphorus is another simple combustible substance, 
but is never found in a pure state in nature. It is com- 
monly united to oxygen in a state of phosphoric acid, 
which is found in different animal, vegetable, and mineral 
substances. It was first discovered by Brandt, a chemist 
of Hamburgh, in the year 1667, and afterwards by the 
Hon. ivble Mr. Boyle, in 1679. It was formerly obtained 
bv a disgusting process ; bu: it is now extracted from the 

22* 



258 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

hones of animals, by burning them, and then reducing 
them to a fine powder, and afterwards pouring sulphuric 
acid upon them. This substance, when pure, resembles 
bees wax, being of a clear, transparent, yellowish color : 
it is insoluble in water ; it may be cut with a knife, or 
twisted to pieces with the fingers ; and it is about double 
the specific gravity of water. Its most remarkable pro- 
perty is its very strong attraction for oxygen, from which 
circumstance it burns spontaneously in the open air at the 
temperature of 43° ; that is, it attracts the oxygen gas 
from the atmosphere, and heat and flame are produced. It 
gradually consumes when exposed to the common tem- 
perature of air, emits a whitish smoke, and is luminous in 
the dark ; for this reason it is kept in phials of water ; and 
as the heat of the hand is sufficient to inflame it, it should 
seldom be handled except under water. At the tempera- 
ture of 99° it melts ; it evaporates at 219°, and boils at 
554°. When heated to 148° it takes fire, and burns with 
a very bright flame, and gives out a large quantity of white 
smoke which is luminous in the dark ; at the same time it 
emits an odour, which has some resemblance to that of 
garlic ; and this smoke, when collected, is proved to be an 
acid. It burns with the greatest splendor in oxygen gas. 
and when taken internally, it is found to be poisonous. 
If any light substance, capable of conducting heat, be pla- 
ced upon the surface of boiling water, and a bit of phos- 
phorus be laid upon it, the heat of the water will be suffi- 
cient to set the phosphorus on fire. If we write a few 
words on paper, with a bit of phosphorus fixed in a quill, 
when the writing is carried into a dark room it will appear 
beautifully luminous. If a piece of phosphorus about the 
size of a pea be dropped into a tumbler of hot water, and 
a stream of oxygen gas forced directly upon it, it will dis- 
play the most brilliant combustion under water that can be 
imagined. All experiments with phosphorus, however, 
require to be performed with great caution. This sub- 
stance is used in making phosphoric match-bottles, phos- 
phoric oil, phosphoric tapers, and various phosphoric fire- 
works. Phosphorized hydrogen gas is produced by bits of 
phosphorus remaining some hours in hydrogen gas. It is 
supposed to be this gas which is often seen hovering on 



CHEMISTRY. 259 

the surface of burial grounds and marshes, known in Scot- 
land by the name of spunkie, and in England by that ot 
will-o-ihe-wisp. 

Some animals, as the glow-worm, and the fire-fly, and 
fish in a putrescent state, exhibit phosphorescent qualities. 
31. Peron describes a singular instance of this kind in an 
animal which he calls the pyvosoma atlanticum, which he- 
observed in his voyage from Europe to the Isle of France. 
The darkness was intense when it was first discovered ; 
and all at once, there appeared at some distance, as it 
were a vast sheet of phosphorus floating on the waves, 
which occupied a great space before the vessel. When 
the vessel had passed through this inflamed part of the sea, 
it was found that this prodigious light was occasioned by 
an immense number of small animals, which swam at dif- 
ferent depths, and appeared to assume various forms. 
Those which were deepest looked like great red hot can- 
non balls, while those on the surface resembled cylinders 
of red hot iron. Some of them were caught, and were 
found to vary in size from 3 to 7 inches. All the exte- 
rior surface of the animal was bristled with thick long 
tubercles, shining like so many diamonds ; and these seem- 
ed to be the principal seat of its wonderful phosphores- 
cence. 

Such is a brief description of the principal elementary 
substances, which, in a thousand diversified forms, pervade 
the system of nature, and produce all that variety which we 
behold in the atmosphere, the waters, the earth, and the 
various processes of the arts. It is probable that some of 
these substances are compounds, though they have not yet 
been decomposed. Yea, it is possible, and not at all impro- 
bable, that there are but two, or at most three elementary 
substances in nature, the various modifications of which 
produce all the beauties and sublimities in the universe. 
Perhaps caloric, oxygen, and hydrogen, may ultimately be 
found to constitute all the elementary principles of nature. 
"Without prosecuting this subject farther, I shall conclude 
this article with a few cursory reflections, tending to illus- 
trate its connection with religion. 

The remarks which I have already thrown out in refer- 
ence to Natural Philosophy, will equally apply to the sci- 



260 *HE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

ence of Chemistry ; and therefore do not require to be re- 
peated. In addition to these, the following observations 
may be stated : — 

1. This science displays, in a striking point of view, the 
wisdom and goodness of God, in producing, by the most 
simple means, (he most astonishing and benevolent effects. 
All the varied phenomena we perceive throughout the 
whole system of sublunary nature, are produced by a com- 
bination of six or seven simple substances. I formerly 
adverted to the infinite variety which exists in the vegeta- 
ble kingdom (see pp. 86—88). About fifty-six thousand 
different species of plants have already been discovered 
by botanists. All these, from the humble shrub to the ce- 
dar of Lebanon, which adorn the surface of the globe in 
every clime, with such a diversity of forms, shades, and 
colors, are the result of the combinations of "four or five 
natural substances — caloric, light, water, air, and carbon. " 
" When we consider," says Mr. Parkes, " that the many 
thousand tribes of vegetables are not only all formed from 
a few simple substances, but that they all enjoy f he same 
sun, vegetate in the same medium, and are supplied with 
the same nutriment, we cannot but be struck with the rich 
economy of Nature, and are almost induced to doubt the 
evidence of those senses with which the God of nature 
has furnished us. That it should be possible so to modify 
and intermingle a few simple substances, and thence pro- 
duce all the variety of form, color, odour, &c. which is ob- 
servable in the different families of vegetables, is a pheno- 
menon too astonishing for our comprehension. Nothing 
short of Omnipotence could have provided such a para- 
dise for man." — Chemical Catechism, chap. 9. 

" Soft roll your incense, herb?, and fruits, and flowers, 
In mingled clouds to Him, whose sun exalts, 
Whose breath perfumes yoa, and whose pencil paints." 

Thomson. 

What an admirable view is here opened up of the economy 
of Divine wisdom, and of the beneficent care which has been 
taken to secure the comfort and happiness of every living 
creature : and how ungrateful a disposition must it indicate 
in rational beings to overlook such benevolent arrange- 
ments ! It is highly probable that in all the other worlds 



CHEMISTRY. 261 

disposed throughout the universe, an infinite diversity of 
scenery exists, and that no one globe or system exactly 
resembles another ; asd yet it is probable that the priman 
elements of matter, or the few simple substances of which 
our world is composed, may be of the same nature as those 
which form the constituent parts of every other system : 
and may give birth to all the variety which exists through- 
out the wide extent of creation, and to all the changes and 
revolutions through which the different systems may pass, 
during every period of infinite duration. 

2. From this science we have every reason to conclude 
thai matter is indestructible. In the various changes that 
take place in material substances, the particles of matter 
are not destroyed, but only assume new forms, and enter 
into new combinations. When a piece of wood, for ex- 
ample, is burned to ashes, none of its principles are de- 
stroyed ; the elementary substances of which it was com- 
posed are only separated from one another, and formed 
into new compounds. Carbon, as already stated, appears 
to be indestructible by age, and to preserve its essential 
properties in every mode of its existence That Being in- 
deed who created matter at first, may reduce it to nothing 
when he pleases ; but it is highly improbable that his power 
will ever be interposed to produce this effect ; or that any 
particle of matter which now exists will ever be annihila- 
ted, into whatever new or varied combinations it may en- 
ter. When any particular world, or assemblage of mate- 
rial existence, has remained in its original stale for a cer- 
tain period of duration, and accomplished ail the ends it 
was intended to subserve in that state, the materials of 
which it is composed, will, in all probability, be employed 
for erecting a new system, and establishing a new series 
of events, in which new scenes, and new beauties and 
sublimities will arise from new and varied combinations : 
for the Creator does nothing in vain. But to annihilate, 
and again to create, would be operating in vain ; and w( 
uniformly find that in all the arrangements of Deity, in the 
present state of things, Nature is frugal and economical in 
all her proceedings ; so that there is no process, when 
thoroughly investigated, that appears unnecessary or su- 
perfluous. 



262 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

From the fact that matter appears to be indestructible. 
we may learn, that the Creator may, with the self-same 
materials which now exist around us, new-model and ar- 
range the globe we inhabit, after the general conflagration, 
so as to make a more glorious world to arise out of its 
ashes ; purified from those physical evils which now exist : 
and fitted for the accommodation either of renovated men, 
or of other pure intelligences. From the same fact, com- 
bined with the consideration of the infinite diversity of ef- 
fects which the simple substances of nature are capable of 
producing, we may be enabled to form a conception of the 
ease with which the Creator may new-model our bodies, 
after they have been dissolved in the dust ; and how, from 
the same original atoms, he may construct and adorn them 
with more glorious forms, and mere delightful and exqui- 
site senses, than they now possess. 

In short, the rapid progress which chemical science is 
now making, promises, ere long, to introduce improve- 
ments among the human race, which will expand their views 
of the agency of God, counteract many physical evils, and 
promote, to an extent which has never yet been experien- 
ced, their social and domestic enjoyment. The late dis- 
coveries of Chemistry tend to convince us that the pro- 
perties and powers of natural substances are only begin- 
ning to be discovered. VVho could have imagined, a cen- 
tury ago, that an invisible substance is contained in a piece 
of coal, capable of producing the most beautiful and splen- 
did illumination — that this substance may be conveyed, in 
a few moments, through pipes of several miles in length — 
and that a city, containing several hundred thousands of in- 
habitants, may be instantly lighted up by it, without the aid 
of either wax, oil, or tallow] Who could have imagined, 
that one of the ingredients of the air we breathe is the prin- 
ciple of combustion — that a rod of iron may be made to 
burn in it with a brilliancy that dazzles the eyes — that a 
piece of charcoal may be made to burn with a white and 
splendid light, which is inferior only to the solar rays — 
and that the diamond is nothing more than carboyi in a 
crystallized state, and differs only in a slight degree from a 
bit of common charcoal ? Who could have surmised that 
a substance \vould be discovered, of such a degree of levi 



CHEMISTRY. 266 

ty, as would have power sufficient to buoy up a number of 
men to the upper parts of the atmosphere, and enable them 
to swim, in safety, above the region of the clouds! These 
are only specimens of still more brilliant discoveries which 
will, doubtless, be brought to light by the researches of fu- 
ture generations. "We have reason to believe that the in- 
vestigations of this science will, in due time, enable us to 
counteract most of the diseases incident to the human 
frame ; and to prevent many of those fatal accidents to 
which mankind are now exposed. Davy's safety lamp 
has already preserved many individuals from destruction, 
when working in coal mines ; and thousands, in after ages, 
will be indebted to this discovery, for security from the 
dreadful explosions of hydrcgen gas. And we trust that 
the period is not fardistant. when specific antidotes for the 
diseases peculiar to the different trades and occupations 
in which mankind are employed, will be discovered ; and 
the health and vigor of the mass of society be preserved 
unimpaired, amidst all the processes in which they may be 
engaged. — In fine, the rapid progress of chemical discove- 
ry carries forward our views to a period, when man, having 
thoroughly explored the powers of nature, and subjected 
them in some measure to his control, will be enabled to 
ward off most of those physical evils with which he is now 
annoyed, and to raise himseli'in some degree to the digni- 
ty and happiness he enjoyed before moral evil had shed 
its baleful influence on our terrestrial svstem. Such ape- 
riod corresponds to many of the descriptions contained in 
the Sacred Oracles of the millennial state of the church : 
when social, domestic, moral, and intellectual improve- 
ment shall be carried to the utmost perfection which our 
sublunary station will permit ; when wars shall cease : 
when the knowledge of Jehovah shall cover the earth ; 
when every man shall sit under his vine and fig-tree, with- 
out being exposed to the least alarm ; and when there shall 
be notning to hurt nor destroy throughout the church oi 
the living God. And therefore, we ought to consider the 
various discoveries and improvements now going forward 
in this, and other departments of science, as preparing tin 
way for the introduction of this long-expected and au^m 
cious era. 



264 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 

The general object of both these sciences is to investi- 
gate and describe the structure and economy of the animal 
frame. — Anatomy dissects dead bodies, Physiology investi- 
gates the functions of those that are living. The former 
examines the fluids, muscles, viscera, and all the other 
parts of the human body, in a state of rest ; the latter 
considers them in a state of action. 

The parts of the human body have been distinguished 
into two different kinds—solids and fluids. The solid parts 
are, bones, cartilages, ligaments, muscles, tendons, mem- 
branes, nerves, arteries, veins, hair, nails, and ducts, or fine 
tubular vessels of various kinds. Of these solid parts, the 
following compound organs consist: the brain and cerebel- 
lum; the lungs; the heart; the stomach; the liver; the 
spleen ; the pancreas ; the glands ; the kidneys ; the intes- 
tines ; the mesentery ; the larynx-, and the organs of sense 
-—the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. The fluid parts are, 
the saliva, or spittle, phlegm, serum, the chyle, blood, bile, 
milk, lympha, urine, the pancreatic juice, and the aqueous 
humour of the eyes. The human body is divided into three 
great cavities — the head; the thorax, or breast; and the 
abdomen, or belly. The head is formed of the bones of 
the cranium, and encloses the brain and cerebellum. The 
thorax is composed of the vertebra? of the back, the ster- 
num, and true ribs ; and contains the heart, the pericardi- 
um, the breast, and the lungs. The abdomen is separated 
from the thorax by means of the diaphragm, which is a 
fleshy and membranous substance, composed, for the most 
part, of muscular fibres. This cavity is formed by the 
lumbar vertebrae, the os sacrum, the ossa innominata, the 
false ribs, the peritonaeum, and a variety of muscles. It 
encloses the stomach, intestines, omentum, or caul, the 
liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and urinary bladder. — 
Without attempting any technical description of these dif- 
ferent parts, which could convey no accurate ideas to a 
general reader, I shall merely state two or three facts in 
relation to the system of bones, muscles, and blood-vessels, 
as specimens of the wonderful structure of our bodily frame. 

The Bones may be regarded as the prop-work or basis 
on which the human body is constructed. Thev bear the 



ANATOMY Ax\D PHYSIOLOGY. 265 

same relation to the animal system, as the wood- work to a 
building. They give shape and firmness to the body ; they 
support its various parts, and prevent it from sinking by its 
own weight; they serve as levers tor the muscles to act up- 
on, and to defend the brain, the heart, the lungs, and other 
vital parts, from external injury. Of the bones, some are 
hollow, and filled with marrow ; others are solid through- 
out ; some are very small ; others very large ; some are 
round, and others flat ; some are plane, and others convex 
or concave ; — and all these several forms are requisite for 
the situations they occupy, and the respective functions 
they have to perform. — The spine, or back- bone, consists of 
24 vertebrae or small bones, connected together by cartila- 
ges, articulations, and ligaments ; of which 7 belong to 
the neck, 12 to the back, and 5 to the loins. In the centre 
of each vertebra there is a hole for the lodgement and con- 
tinuation of the spinal marrow, which extends from the 
brain to the rump. From these vertebrae the arched bones 
called ribs proceed ; and seven of them join the breast- 
bone on each side, where they terminate in cartilages, and 
form the cavity of the thorax or chest. The five lower ribs, 
with a number of muscles, form the cavity of the abdomen, 
as above stated. The spine is one of the most admirable 
mechanical contrivances in the human frame. Had it con- 
sisted of only three or four bones, or had the holes in each 
bone not exactly corresponded, and fitted into each other, 
the spinal marrow would have been bruised, and life en- 
dangered at every bending of the body. The skull is com- 
posed of 10 bones, and about 51 are reckoned to belong to 
the face, the orbits of the eyes, and the jaws in which the: 
teeth are fixed. There are seldom more than 16 teeth in 
each jaw, or 32 in all. — The number of bones in a hu- 
man body is generally estimated at about 245 ; of which 
there are reckoned, in the skull, head, and face, 61 ; in 
ihe trunk, 64 ; in the arms and hands, 60 ; in the leg.^ 
and feet, 60. The bones are provided with ligaments or 
hinges, which bind and fasten them together, and prevent 
them from being displaced by any violent motion ; and. 
that the ligaments may work smoothly into one another, 
the joints are separated by cartilages or gristles, and pro- 
vided with a gland for the secretion of oil or mucus, which 

23 



266 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

is constantly exuding into the joints ; so that every requi- 
site is provided by our Benevolent Creator, to prevent 
pain, and to promote facility of motion. " in consider- 
ing the joints/' says Dr. Paley, " there is nothing perhaps 
which ought to move our gratitude more than the reflec- 
tion, hoiv iveil they near. A limb shall swing upon its 
hinge, or play in its socket many hundred times in an 
hour, for 60 years together, without diminution of agility ; 
which is a long time for any thing to last ; for any thing 
so much worked as the joints are." 

The Muscular System. — A muscle is a bundle of 
fleshy, and sometimes of tendinous fibres. The fleshy 
fibres compose the body of the muscle; and the tendinous 
fibres the extremities. Some muscles are long and round ; 
some plain and circular ; some have spiral, and some have 
straight fibres. Some are double, having a tendon running 
through the body from head to tail ; some have two or more 
tendinous branches running through, with various rows 
and orders of fibres. All these, and several other varie- 
ties, are essentially requisite for the respective offices 
they have to perform in the animal system. The muscles 
constitute the fleshy part of the human body, and give it 
that varied and beautiful form we observe over all its sur- 
face. But their principle design is to serve as the organs 
ef motion. They are inserted, by strong tendinous ex- 
tremities, into the different bones of which the skeleton is 
composed ; and by their contraction and distention, give 
rise to all the movements of the body. The muscles, 
therefore, may be considered as so many cords attached 
to the bones ; and the Author of Nature has fixed them 
according to the most perfect principles of mechanism, 
so as to produce the fittest motions in the parts for the 
movement of which they are intended. 

One of the most wonderful properties of the muscles is, 
the extraordinary force they exert, although they are com- 
posed of such slender threads or fibres. The following 
facts, in relation to this point, are demonstrated by the 
celebrated Borelli, in his work, " De JWotu Jlnimalium.'' 
When a man lifts up with his teeth a weight of 200 pounds, 
with a rope fastened to the jaw-teeth, the muscles named 
Temporalis and Masseter, with which people chew, and 
which perform this work, exert a force of above 15,000 lbs, 



ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 267 

weight. If any one hanging his arm directly downwards 
lifts a vveight of 20 pounds, uith ihe third or last joint of 
his thumb, the muscle which bends the thumb, and bears 
that weight, exerts a force of about three thou sand pounds. 
"When a man, standing upon his feet, leaps or springs up- 
wards to the height of two feet, if the weight of such a man 
be 150 pounds, the muscles employed in (hat action will 
exert a force 2000 times greater ; that is to say, a force of 
about three hundred thousand pounds. The heart, at each 
pulse or contraction, by which it protrudes the blood out of 
the arteries into the veins, exerts a force of above a hun- 
dred thousand pounds. Who can contemplate this ama- 
zing strength of the muscular system, without admiration 
of the power and wisdom of the Creator, who has thus en- 
dowed a bundle of threads, each of them smaller than a hair, 
with such an astonishing degree of mechanical force ! 
There have been reckoned about 446 muscles in the hu- 
man body, which have been dissected and distinctly de- 
scribed ; every one of which is essential to the performance 
of some one motion or other, which contributes to our ease 
and enjoyment ; and, in most instances, a great number of 
them is required to perform their different functions at the 
same time. It has been calculated, that about a hundred 
muscles are employed every time we breathe. — " Breathing 
with ease," says Dr. Paley, " is a blessing of every mo- 
ment ; yet, of all others, it is that which wo possess with 
the least consciousness. A man in an asthma is the only 
man who knows how to estimate it." 

Tun Heart and Blood-vessels. — The heart is a hol- 
low muscular organ, of a conical shape, and consists of 
four distinct cavities. The two largest are called ventri- 
cles, and the two smallest, auricles. The ventricles send 
out the blood to the arteries ; the auricles receive it from 
the veins. The heart is enclosed in the pericardium, a 
membranous bag, which contains a quantity of water, or 
lymph. This water lubricates the heart and facilitates all 
its motions. The heart is the general reservoir of the 
blood. When the heart contracts, the blood is propelled 
from the right vmtriclc into the lungs, through the pulmo- 
nary arteries which, like all the other arteries, are furnished 
with valves that play easily forward, but admit not the blood 



268 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

to return toward the heart. The blood, after circulating 
through the lungs, and having there been revivified by 
coming in contact with the air, and imbibing a portion of 
its oxygen, returns into the left auricle of the heart, by the 
pulmonary vein. At the same instant, the left ventricle 
drives the blood into the aorta, a large artery which sends 
off branches to supply the head and arms. Another large 
branch of the aorta descends along the inside of the back- 
bone, and detaches numerous ramifications to nourish the 
bowels and inferior extremities. After serving the most 
remote extremities of the body, the arteries are converted 
into veins, which, in their return to the heart, gradually 
unite into larger branches, till the whole terminate in one 
great trunk, called the vena cava, which discharges itself 
into the right auricle of the heart, and completes the circu- 
lation. Each ventricle of the heart is reckoned to contain 
about one ounce, or two table-spoonfuls, of blood. The 
heart contracts 4000 times every hour ; and, consequently, 
there passes through it 250 pounds of blood in one hour. 
And if the mass of blood in a human body be reckoned at 
an average of twenty-five pounds, it will follow, that the 
whole mass of blood passes through the heart, and conse- 
quently, through the thousands of ramifications of the veins 
and arteries fourteen times every hour, or, about once every 
four minutes. We may acquire a rude idea of the force 
with which the blood is impelled from the heart, by consi- 
dering the velocity with which water issues from a syringe, 
or from the pipe of a fire-engine. Could we behold these 
rapid motions incessantly going on within us, it would over- 
power our minds with astonishment, and even with terror. 
We should be apt to feel alarmed on making the smallest 
exertion, lest the parts of this delicate machine should be 
broken or deranged, and its functions interrupted. The 
arteries into which the blood is forced, branch in every di- 
rection through the body, like the roots and branches of a 
tree ; running through the substance of the bones, and 
every part of the animal frame, till they are lost in such fine 
tubes as to be wholly invisible. In the parts where the 
arteries are lost to the sight, the veins take their rise ; 
and, in their commencement, are also imperceptible. 
Respiration.— The organs of respiration are the lungs. 



ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 269 

They are divided into five lobes ; three of which lie on the 
right, and two on the left, side of the thorax. The sub- 
stance of the lungs is chiefly composed of infinite ramifica- 
tions of the trachea, or wind-pipe, which, after gradually 
becoming more and more minute, terminate in little cells, 
or vesicles, which have a free communication with one an- 
other. At each inspiration, these pipes and cells are filled 
with air, which is again discharged by expiration. In this 
manner, a circulation of air, which is necessary to the ex- 
istence of men and other animals, is constantly kept up as 
long as life remains. The air cells of the lungs open into 
the wind- pipe, by which they communicate with the exter- 
nal atmosphere. The whole internal structure of the lungs 
is lined by a transparent membrane, estimated at only the 
thousandth part of an inch in thickness ; but whose surface, 
from its various convolutions, measures fifteen square feet, 
which is equal to the external surface of the body. On 
this thin and extensive membrane, innumerable veins and 
arteries are distributed, some of them finer than hairs ; and 
through these vessels all the blood of the system is success- 
ively propelled, by a most curious and admirable mecha- 
nism. It has been computed that the lungs, on an average, 
contain about 280 cubic inches, or about five English quarts 
of air. At each inspiration about forty cubic inches of 
air are received into the lungs, and the same quantity dis- 
charged at each expiration. On the supposition that 20 
respirations take place in a minute, it will follow that, in 
one minute, we inhale 800 cubic inches ; in an hour, 4S,- 
000 ; and in a day, one million, one hundred and fifty-two 
thousand cubic inches — a quantity which would fill seven- 
ty-seven wine hogsheads, and would weigh fifty-three 
pounds troy. By means of this function, a vast body of 
air is daily brought into contact with the mass of blood, 
and communicates to it its vivifying influence ; and, there- 
fore, it is of the utmost importance to health, that the air. 
of which we breathe so considerable a quantity, should be 
pure and uncontaminatcd with noxious effluvia. 

Digestion. — This process is performed by the stomach. 
which is a membranous and muscular bag, furnished with 
two orifices. By the one, it has a communication with the 
gullet, and by the other, with the bowels. The food, after 

23* 



270 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

being moistened by the saliva, is received into the stomach, 
where it is still farther diluted by the gastric juice, which has 
the power of dissolving every kind of animal and vegetable 
substance. Part of it is afterwards absorbed by the lym- 
phatic and lacteal vessels, and carried into the circulating 
system, and converted into blood for supplying that nou- 
rishment which the perpetual waste of our bodies demands. 

Perspiration is the evacuation of the juices of the body 
through the pores of the skin. It has been calculated that 
there are above three hundred thousand millions of pores in 
the glands of the skin which covers the body of a middle 
sized man. Through these pores, more than one-half of 
what we eat and drink passes off by insensible perspiration. 
If we consume eight pounds of food in a day, five pounds 
of it are insensibly discharged by perspiration. During a 
night of seven hour's sleep, we perspire about forty ounces 
or two pounds and a half. At an average, we may estimate 
the discharge from the surface of the body, by sensible and 
insensible perspiration, at from half an ounce to four 
ounces an hour. This is the most wonderful part of the 
animal economy, and is absolutely necessary to our health, 
and even to our very existence. When partially obstruc- 
ted, colds, rheumatisms, fevers, and other inflammatory 
disorders, are produced ; and were it completely obstruc- 
ted, the vital functions would be clogged and impeded in 
their movements, and death would inevitably ensue. 

Sensation. — Thenerves are generally considered as the 
instruments of sensation. They are soft white cords which 
proceed from the brain and spinal marrow. They come 
forth originally by pairs. Ten pair proceed from the me- 
dullary substance of the brain, which are distributed to all 
parts of the head and neck. Thirty pair proceed from the 
spinal marrow, through the vertebrae, to all the other parts 
of the body ; being forty in all. These nerves, the rami- 
fications of which are infinitely various and minute, are 
distributed upon the heart, lungs, blood-vessels, bowels, 
and muscles, till they terminate on the skin or external 
covering of the body. Impressions of external objects are 
received by the brain from the adjacent organs of sense, 
and the brain exercises its commands over the muscle? 
and limbs by means of the nerves. 



ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 271 

Without prosecuting these imperfect descriptions farther, 
I shall conclude this very hasty skc'ch with the following 
summary of the parts of the body, in the words of Bonnet. 
— " The bcnes, by their joints and solidity, form the foun- 
dation of this fine machine : the ligaments are strings 
which unite the parts together : the muscles are fleshy 
substances which act as elastic springs to put them in mo- 
tion : the nerves, which are dispersed over the whole body, 
connect all the parts together : the arteries and veins, like 
rivulets, convey life and health throughout : the heart, pla- 
ced in the centre, is the focus where the blood collects, or 
the acting power by means of which it circulates and is 
preserved : the lungs, by means of another power, draw 
in the external air, and expel hurtful vapors : the stomach 
and intestines are the magazines where every thing that is 
required for the daily supply is prepared : the brain, that 
seat of the soul, is formed in a manner suitable to the dig- 
nity of its inhabitant : the senses, which are the soul's min- 
isters, warn it of all that is necessary either for its plea- 
sure or use.* Adorable Creator! with what wonderful 
art hast thou formed us ! Though the heavens did not 
exist to proclaim thy glory ; though there were no created 
being upon earth but myself, my own body might suffice 
to convince me that thou art a God of unlimited power 
and infinite goodness." 

This subje- t suggests a variety of moral and religious 
reflections, but the limits to which I am confined, will per- 
mit me to state only the following : — 

1. The economy of the human frame, when seriously 
contemplated, has a tendency to excite admiration and as- 
tonishment, and to impress us with a sense of our continual 
dependance on a Superior Power. What an immense mul- 
tiplicity of machinery must be in action to enable us to 
breathe, to feel, and to walk ! Hundreds of bonps of di- 
versified fo v ms, connected together by various modes of 
articulation ; hundreds of muscles to produce motion, each 
of them acting in at least ten different capacities ; (see p. 
92.) hundreds of tendons and ligaments to connect Un- 
bones and muscles; hundreds of arteries to convey th« 



:;templation of Nature, vol. I. p. 64, 



272 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

blood to the remotest part of the system ; hundreds of 
veins to bring it back to its reservoir, the heart ; thousands 
of glands secreting humours of various kinds from the 
blood ; thousands of lacteal and lymphatic tubes, absorbing 
and conveying nutriment to the circulating fluid ; millions 
of pores, through which the perspiration is continually is- 
suing ; an infinity of ramifications of nerves, diffusing 
sensation throughout all the parts of this exquisite ma- 
chine ; and the heart at every pulsation exerting a force of 
a hundred thousand pounds, in order to preserve all this 
complicated machinery in constant operation ! The whole 
of this vast system of mechanism must be in action before 
we can walk across our apartments ! We admire the ope- 
ration of a steam-engine, and the force it exerts. But, 
though it is constructed of the hardest materials which the 
mines can supply, in a few months, some of its essential 
parts are worn and deranged, even although its action 
should be frequently discontinued. But the animal ma- 
chine, though constructed, for the most part, of the softest 
and most flabby substances, can go on without intermission 
in all its diversified movements, by night and by day, for 
the space of eighty or a hundred years ! the heart giving 
ninety six thousand strokes every twenty-four hours, and 
the whole mass of blood rushing through a thousand pipes 
of all sizes every four minutes ! And is it man that go- 
verns these nice and complicated movements ? Did he 
set the heart in motion, or endow it with the muscular force 
it exerts ? And when it has ceased to beat, can he com- 
mand it again to resume its functions ? Man knows nei- 
ther the secret springs of the machinery within him, nor 
the half of the purposes for which they serve, or of the 
movements they perform. Can any thing more strikingly 
demonstrate our dependance eyery moment on a Superior 
Agent, and that it is, " in God we live and move, and have 
our being ?" Were a single pin of the machinery within 
us, and over which we have no control, either broken or 
deranged, a thousand movements might instantly be inter- 
rupted, and our bodies left to crumble into the dust. 

It was considerations of this kind that led the celebrated 
physician Galen, who was a sceptic in his youth, publicly 
to acknowledge that a Supreme Intelligence must have 



ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 273 

operated in ordaining the laws by which living beings are 
constructed. And he wrote his excellent treatise " On 
the uses of the parts of the human frame," as a solemn 
hymn to the Creator of the world. " I first endeavor 
from His works," he says, " to know myself, and after- 
wards by the same means to show him to others ; to in- 
form them, how great is his wisdom, his goodness, his 
power." The late Dr. Hunter has observed, that Astro- 
nomy and Anatomy are the studies which present us with 
the most striking view of the two most wonderful attri- 
butes of the Supreme Being. The first of these fills the 
mind with the idea of his immensity in the largeness, dis- 
tances, and number of the heavenly bodies ; the last asto- 
nishes us with his intelligence and art in the variety and 
delicacy of animal mechanism. 

2. The study of the animal economy has a powerful ten- 
dency to excite emotions of gratitude. Man is naturally a 
thoughtless and ungrateful creature. These dispositions 
are partly owing to ignorance of the wonders of the hu- 
man frame, and of the admirable economy of the visible 
world ; and this ignorance is owing to the want of those 
specific instructions which ought to be communicated by 
parents and teachers, in connection with religion. For 
there is no rational being who is acquainted with the struc- 
ture of his animal system, and reflects upon it with the 
least degree of attention, but must feel a sentiment of ad- 
miration and gratitude. The science which unfolds to us 
the economy of our bodies, shows us on what an infinity 
of springs, and motions, and adaptations, our life and com- 
fort depend. And when we consider that all these move- 
ments are performed without the least care or laborious 
effort on our part, if we be not altogether brutish, and in- 
sensible of our dependance on a Superior Power, we must 
be filled with emotions of gratitude towards Him " whose 
hands have made and fashioned us, and who giveth us life, 
and breath, and all things." Some of the motions to 
which I have adverted, depend upon our will ; and with 
what celerity do they obey its commands ! Before we can 
rise from our chair and walk across our apartment, a hun- 
dred muscles must be set in motion ; every one of these 
must be relaxed or constricted, just to a certain degree. 



274 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and no more ; and all must act harmoniously at the same 
instant of time ; and, at the command of the soul, all these 
movements are instantaneously performed. When I wish 
to lift my hand to my head, every part of the body requisite 
to produce the effect is put in motion : the nerves are bra- 
ced, the muscles are stretched or relaxed, the bones play in 
their sockets, and the whole animal machine concurs in the 
action, as if every nerve and muscle had heard a sovereign 
and resistless call. When I wish the next moment to ex- 
tend my hand to my foot, all these muscles are thrown into 
a different state, and a new set are brought along with 
them into action * and thus we may vary, every moment, 
the movements of the muscular system, and the mechanic- 
al actions it produces, by a simple change in our volition. 
W r ere we not daily accustomed to such varied and volunta- 
ry movements, or could we contemplate them in any other 
machine, we should be lost in wonder and astonishment. 

Besides these voluntary motions, there are a thousand 
important functions which have no dependance upon our 
will. Whether we think of it or not, whether we are sleep- 
ing or waking, sitting or walking — the heart is incessantly 
exerting its muscular power at the centre of the system, 
and sending off streams of blood through hundreds of pipes ; 
the lungs are continually expanding and contracting their 
thousand vesicles, and imbibing the vital principle of the 
air ; the stomach is grinding the food ; the lacteals and 
lymphatics are extracting nourishment for the blood ; the 
liver and kidneys drawing off their secretions ; and the 
perspiration issuing from millions of pores. These, and 
many other important functions with which we are unac- 
quainted, and over which we have no control, ought to be 
regarded as the immediate agency of the Deity within us, 
and should excite our incessant admiration and praise. 

There is one peculiarity in the constitution of our ani- 
mal system which we are apt to overlook, and for which 
w T e are ne^er sufficiently grateful ; and that is, the power it 
possesses of self-restoration. A wound heals up of itself; 
a broken bone is made firm again by a callus ; and a dead 
part is separated and thrown off. If all the wounds we 
have ever received were still open and bleeding afresh, to 
what a miserable condition should we be reduced ? But 



HISTORY, 275 

by a system of internal powers, beyond all human com- 
prehension, as to the mode of their operation, such dismal 
effects are effectually prevented. In short, when we con- 
sider that health depends upon such a numerous assem- 
blage of moving organs, and that a single spring out of ac- 
tion, might derange the whole machine, and put a stop to 
all its complicated movements, can we refrain from join- 
ing with the Psalmist, in his pious exclamation, and grate- 
ful resolution, " How precious are thy wonderful contri- 
vances concerning me, God ! how great is the sum of 
them ! I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonder- 
fully made. Marvellous are thy works, and that my soul 
knoweth right well." 

Omitting the consideration of several other departments 
of science, 1 shall, in the meantime, notice only another 
subject connected with religion, and that is History. 

HisTonr. 

History embraces a record and description of past facts 
and events in reference to all the nations and ages of the 
world, in so far as they are known, and have been trans- 
mitted to our time. As Natural History contains a record 
pf the operations of the Creator in the material world, so 
sacred and civil history embraces a record of his transac- 
tions in the moral and intellectual world, or in other words, 
a detail of the plans and operations of His Providence in 
relation to the inhabitants of our globe. Through the me- 
dium of Sacred History we learn the period and the man- 
ner of man's creation — the reason of his fall from the primi- 
tive state of integrity in which he was created, and the dis- 
mal consequences which ensued ; the various movements 
of Providence in order to his recovery, and the means by 
which human Redemption was achieved ; — the manner in 
which the Gospel was at first promulgated, the countries 
into which it was carried, and the important effects it pro- 
duced. Through the medium of Civil History we learn 
ihe deep and universal depravity of mankind, as exhibited 
in the war.-, dissensions, and ravages, which have desolated 
our fallen race in every period and in every land ; — wc 
learn the desperate wickedness of the human heart, in the 
more private uct. 4 : of ferocity, cruelty, and injustice, which 



276 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

in all ages, men have perpetrated upon each other : — we 
behold the Righteousness of the Supreme Ruler of the 
world, and the equity of his administration, in the judg- 
ments which have been inflicted on wicked nations — and 
the improbability, nay, the impossibility of men being ever 
restored to moral order and happiness, without a more ex- 
tensive diffusion of the blessings of the Gospel of Peace, 
and a more cordial acquiescence in the requirements of the 
Divine Law. 

Such being some of the benefits to be derived from His- 
tory, it requires no additional arguments to show that this 
branch of knowledge should occasionally form a subject of 
study to every intelligent Christian. But in order to ren- 
der the study of History subservient to the interests of Re- 
ligion, it is not enough, merely to gratify our curiosity and 
imagination by following out a succession of memorable 
events, by tracing the progress of armie3 and of battles, and 
listening to the groans of the vanquished, and the shouts of 
conquerors. This would be to study History merely as 
sceptics, as atheists, or as writers of novels. When we con- 
template the facts which the Historian presents to our 
view, we ought to raise our eyes to Him who is the Gover- 
nor among the nations, " who doth according to his will in 
the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the 
earth," and who overrules the jarring interests of mortals, for 
promoting the prosperity of that Kingdom which shall ne- 
ver be moved. We should view the immoral propensities 
and dispositions of mankind as portrayed in the page of 
history, as evidences of the depravity of our species, and 
as excitements to propagate, with unremitting energy, the 
knowledge of that Religion, whose sublime doctrines and 
pure precepts alone can counteract the stream of human 
corruption, and unite all nations in one harmonious so- 
ciety. We should view the contests of nations, and the 
results with which they are accompanied, as guided by 
that Invisible Hand which " mustereth the armies to the 
battle ;" and should contemplate them either as the ac- 
complishment of Divine predictions, as the inflictions of 
retributive justice, as paving the way for the introduction 
of rational liberty and social happiness among men, or as 
ushering in that glorious period when " the knowledge of 



HISTORl. 27? 

the Lord shall cover the earth," and the nations shall learn 
war no more. 



Thus I have taken a very cursory survey of some of 
those sciences which stand m a near relation to the ob- 
jects of Religion ; and which may indeed be considered 
as forming so many of its subordinate branches. There 
are many other departments of knowledge which, at first 
view, do not seem to have any relation to Theological 
science ; and yet, on a closer inspection, will be found to 
be essentially connected with the several subjects of which 
I have been treating. For example — some may be apt to 
imagine that Arithmetic, Geoirretry, Trigonometry, and 
other branches of Mathematics, can have no relation to 
the leading objects of Religion. But if these sciences 
had never been cultivated, the most important discoveries 
of astronomy, geography, natural philosophy, and che- 
mistry, would never have been made ; ships could not have 
been navigated across the ocean ; distant continents, and 
the numerous " isles of the sea," would have remained un- 
explored, and their inhabitants left to grope in the darkness 
of heathenism ; and most of those instruments and engines 
by which the condition of the human race will be gradually 
meliorated, and the influence of Christianity extended, 
would never have been invented. Such is the dependance 
of every branch of useful knowledge upon another, that 
were any one portion of science, which has a practical 
tendency, to be discarded, it would prevent, to a certain 
degree, the improvement of every other. And conse- 
atly, if any one science can be shown to have a con- 
ion with religion, all the rest must likewise stand in a 
tain relation to it. It must, therefore, have a pernicious 
effect on the minds of the mass of the Christian world, 
when preachers, in their sermons, endeavor to undervalue 
ntitic knowledge, by attempting to contrast it with the 
doctrines of Revelation. It would be just as reasonable 
to attempt to contrast the several doctrines, duties, and 
fact- -led in the New Testament with each other, in 

order to determine their relative importance, and to show 
which of them might be altogether overlooked and dis- 
ced. The scries of facts and of divine revelation- 

24 



278 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

comprised in the Bible ; the moral and political events 
which diversify the history of nations ; and the physical 
operations that are going on among the rolling worlds on 
high, and in the chemical changes of the invisible atoms 
of matter, are all parts of one comprehensive system, un- 
der the direction of the Eternal Mind ; every portion of 
which must have a certain relation to the whole. And 
therefore, instead of attempting to degrade one part of 
the Divine fabric in order to enhance another, our duty is 
to take an expansive view of the whole, and to consider 
the symmetry and proportion of its parts, and their mutual 
bearings and relations — in so far as our opportunities, and 
the limited faculties of our minds, will permit. 

If the remarks which have been thrown out in this 
chapter respecting the connection of the Sciences with Re- 
ligion, have any foundation, it will follow — that Sermons, 
Lectures, Systems of Divinity, and Religious Periodical 
works, should embrace occasional illustrations of such 
subjects, for the purpose of expanding the conceptions of 
professed Christians, and of enabling them to take large 
and comprehensive views of the perfections and the pro- 
vidence of the Almighty. It is much to be regretted that 
so many members of the Christian church are absolute 
strangers to such studies and contemplations ; while 
the time and attention that might have been devoted to 
such exercises, have in many cases been usurped by the 
most grovelling affections, by foolish pursuits, by gossip- 
ing chit-chat, and slanderous conversation. Shall the 
most trifling and absurd opinion?; of ancient and modern 
heretics be judged worthy of attention, and occupy a place 
in Religious journals, and even in discussions from the 
pulpit, and shall " the mighty acts of the Lord," and the 
visible wonders of his power and wisdom be thrown com- 
pletely into the shade ? To survey, with an eye of intelli- 
gence, the wide-extended theatre of the Divine operations 
— to mark the agency of the Eternal Mind in every object 
we behold, and in every movement within us and around 
us, are some of the noblest attainments of the rational 
soul ; and. in conjunction with every other Christian study 
and acquirement, are calculated to make "the man of God 
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work." 



HISTORY. 279 

By such studies we are in some measure assimilated to 
the angelic tribes, whose powers of intellect are for ever 
employed in such investigations — and are gradually pre- 
pared for bearing a part in their immortal hymn — " Great 
and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just 
and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints, Thou art 
worthy to receive glory, and honor, and power ; for thou 
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and 
nere created." 



CHAPTER III. 

THE RELATION WHICH THE INVENTIONS OF 

HUMAN ART BEAR TO THE OBJECTS 

OF RELIGION. 



In this chapter I shall briefly notice a few philosophical 
and mechanical inventions which have an obvious bearing 
on Religion, and on the general propagation of Christianity 
among the nations. 

The first, and perhaps the most important of the inven- 
tions to which I allude, is the Art of Printing. This 
art appears to have been invented (at least in Europe) 
about the year 1430, by one Laurentius, or Lawrence 
Koster, a native of Haerlem, a town in Holland. As he 
was walking in a wood near the city, he began to cut some 
letters upon the rind of a beach tree, which, for the sake 
of gratifying his fancy, being impressed on paper, he 
printed one or two lines as a specimen for his grandchild- 
ren to follow. This having succeeded, he meditated 
greater things ; and first of all, invented a more glutinous 
writing-ink, because he found the common ink sunk and 
spread; and thus formed whole pages of wood, with let- 
ters cut upon them.* By the gradual improvement of 

+ I am aware that the honor of this invention has been claimed bv 
other cities besides Haerlem, particularly by Strasburg, and Mentz. 
a city of Germany ; and by other individuals besides Laurentius. 
chiefly by one Fust, commonly called Dr. Faustus ; by Schoeffer. 
and by Gutenberg. It appears that the art, with many of its imple- 
ments, was stolen from Laurentius by one of his servants, whom he 
had bound by an oath to secrecy, who fled to Mentz, and first com- 
menced the process of printing in that city. Here the art was im- 
proved by Fust and Schoeffer, by their invention of metallic, instead 
of wooden types, which were first used. When Fust was in Faris, 
disposing of some Bibles he had printed, at the low price (as wa^ 
then thought) of sixty crowns, the number, and the uniformity of the 
Copies he possessed, created universal agitation and astonishment In.- 



ART OF PRINTING, 281 

this art, and its application to the diffusion of knowledge, 
a new era was formed in the annals of the human race, 
and in the progress of science, religion, and morals. To 
it we are chiefly indebted for our deliverance from igno- 
rance and error, and for most of those scientific discove- 
ries and improvements in the arts which distinguish the 
period in which we live. Without its aid, the Reforma- 
tion from Popery could scarcely have been achieved ; for, 
had the books of Luther, one of the first reformers, been 
multiplied by the slow process of hand-writing and copy- 



formations were given to the Police against him as a magician, his 
lodgings were searched, and a great number of copies being found, 
they were seized ; the red ink with which they were embellished, 
was said to be his blood: it was seriously adjudged that he was in 
league with the Devil : and if he had not fled from the city, most 
probably he would have shared the fate of those whom ignorant and 
superstitious judges, at that time, condemned for witchcraft. From 
this circumstance, let us learn to beware how we view the inventions 
of genius, and how we treat those whose ingenious contrivances may 
afterwards be the means of enlightening and meliorating mankind. — 
See Appendix, No. VII. 

Various improvements have been made of late years, in the art of 
printing. That which has lately been announced by Dr. Church, oi 
Boston, is the most remarkable ; and if found successful, will carry 
this art to a high degree of perfection. — A principal object of this im- 
provement is, to print constantly from new types, which is effected 
by simplifying the process for casting and composing. The type is 
delivered perfect by machinery, and laid as it is cast, in separate 
compartments, with unerring order and exactness. The composition 
is then effected by other apparatus, directed by keys like those of a 
piano-forte, and the type may then be. arranged in words and lines, 
as quickly as in the performance of notes in music. No error can 
arise except from touching the wrong key ; and her^e an expert hand 
will leave little labor for the reader. It is then found less expensive 
under Dr. Church's economical system of re-casting, to re-melt the 
types, and re-cast them, than to perform the tedious operation of dis- 
tribution. The melting takes place without atmospheric exposure, 
by which oxydation and waste of metal are avoided. It is calculated 
that two men can produce 75,000 new types per hour, and in re- 
composing, one man will perform as much as three or four composi- 
tors. In the production of types, the saving is ninety-nine parts in a 
hundred ; and in the composition, distribution, and reading, is three- 
parts in four. In regard to press-work, Dr. C. has invented a ma- 
chine to work with plattens, instead of cylinders, from which he will 
be enabled to take 30 fine impressions per minute. 

24* 



282 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

ing, they could never have been diffused to any extent : 
and the influence of bribery and of power might have been 
sufficient to have arrested their progress, or even to have 
erased their existence. But being poured forth from the 
press in thousands at a time, they spread over the nations 
of Europe like an inundation, and with a rapidity which 
neither the authority of princes, nor the schemes of priests 
and cardinals, nor the bulls of popes, could counteract or 
suspend. To this noble invention it is owing that copies 
of the Bible have been multiplied to the extent of many 
millions — that ten thousands of them are to be found in 
every Protestant country — and that the poorest individual 
who expresses a desire for it, may be furnished with the 
" Word of Life," which will guide him to a blessed im- 
mortality. That Divine light which is destined to illumi- 
nate every region of the globe-, and to sanctify and reform 
men of all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, is accele- 
rated in its movements, and directed in its course through 
the nations, by the invention of the Art of Printing ; and 
ere long it will distribute among the inhabitants of every 
land, the " Law and the Testimony of the Most High," 
to guide their steps to the regions of eternal bliss. In 
short, there is not a more powerful engine in the hand of 
Providence, for diffusing the knowledge of the nature and 
the will of the Deity, and for accomplishing the grand ob- 
jects of Revelation, than the art of multiplying books, and 
of conveying intelligence through the medium of the 
Press. Were no such art in existence, we cannot con- 
ceive how an extensive and universal propagation of the 
doctrines of Revelation could be effected, unless after the 
lapse of an indefinite number of ages. But with the as- 
sistance of this invention, in its present improved state, 
the island of Great Britain alone, within less than a hun- 
dred years, could furnish a copy of the Scriptures to every 
inhabitant of the world, and would defray the expense of 
such an undertaking with m^ch more ease, and with a 
smaller sum, than was necessary to finish the political war- 
fare in which we were lately engaged. 

These considerations teach us that the ingenious inven- 
tions of the human mind are under the direction and con- 
trol of the Governor of the World— are intimately con- 



THE MARINER'S COMPASS. 283 

nected with the accomplishment of the plans of his provi- 
dence, and have a tendency, either directly or indirectly, 
to promote, over every region of the earth, the progress 
and extension of the kingdom of the Redeemer. They 
also show us from what small beginnings the most magni- 
ficent operations of the Divine economy may derive their 
origin. Who could have imagined that the simple circum- 
stance of a person amusing himself by cutting a few let- 
ters on the bark of a tree, and impressing them on paper, 
was intimately connected with the mental illumination of 
mankind ; and that the art which sprung from this casual 
process was destined to be the principal means of illumi- 
nating the nations, and of conveying to the ends of the 
earth, u the salvation of our God?' But, " He who rules 
in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the 
earth," and who sees " the end from the beginning," over- 
rules the most minute movements of all his creatures, in 
subserviency to his ultimate designs, and shows himself, 
in this respect, to be " wonderful in counsel, and excellent 
in working." 

The Mariner's Compass. — Another invention, which 
has an intimate relation to religion, is the Art of Naviga- 
tion, and the invention ofth- : Mariner's Compass. Navi- 
gation is the art of conducting a ship through the sea, from 
one port to another. This art was partly known and prac- 
tised in the early ages of antiquity, by the Phoenicians, the 
Carthaginians, the Egyptians, the Romans, and other na- 
tions of Europe and Asia. But they had no guide to 
direct them in their voyages, except the sun in the day- 
time, and the stars by night. When the sky was overcast 
with clouds, they were thrown into alarms, and durst not 
venture to any great distance from the coast, lest they 
should be carried forward in a course opposite to that 
which they intended, or be driven against hidden rocks, or 
unknown shores. The danger and difficulty of the navi- 
gation of the ancients, on this account, may be learned 
from the deliberations, the great preparations, and the 
alarms of Homer's heroes, when they were about to cross 
the Egean Sea, an extent of not more than 150 miles ; and 
the expedition of the Argonauts under Jason, across the 
sea of Marmora and the Euxine, to the island of Colchis, 



284 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

a distance of only four or five hundred miles, was viewed 
as a most wonderful exploit, at which even the gods them- 
selves were said to be amazed. The same thing appears 
from the narration we have in the Acts of the Apostles, of 
Paul's voyage from Cesarea to Rome. " When" says 
Luke " neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and 
no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be 
saved was then taken away." Being deprived of these 
guides, they were tossed about in the Mediterranean, not 
knowing whether they were carried north, south, east, or 
west. So that the voyages of antiquity consisted chiefly in 
creeping along the coast, and seldom venturing beyond 
sight of land : they could not, therefore, extend their ex- 
cursions by sea to distant continents and nations ; and 
hence the greater portion of the terraqueous globe and its 
inhabitants were to them altogether unknown. It was not 
before the invention of the JSlariner's Compass, that distant 
voyages could be undertaken, that extensive oceans could 
be traversed, and an intercourse carried on between remote 
continents and the islands of the ocean. 

It is somewhat uncertain at what precise period this noble 
discovery was made ; but it appears pretty evident that the 
Mariner's Compass was not commonly used in Navigation 
before the year 1420, or only a few years before the inven- 
tion of Printing.* The loadstone, in all ages, was known 
to have the property of attracting iron ; but its tendency 
to point towards the north and south seems to have been 
unnoticed till the beginning of the twelfth century. About 
that time some curious persons seem to have amused 



* The invention of the Compass is usually ascribed to Flavio 
Gioia, of Amalfi, in Campania, about the year 1302 ; and the 
Italians are strenuous in supporting* this claim. Others affirm that 
Marcus Paulus, a Venetian, having made- a journey to China, 
brought back the invention with him in 1260. The French also 
lay claim to the honor of this invention, from the circumstance 
that all nations distinguish the Kortli point of the card by a fleur 
de lis ; and with equal reason the English have laid claim to the 
same honor, from the name compass, by which most nations have 
agreed to distinguish it. But whoever were the inventors, or at 
whatever period this instrument was first constructed, it does not 
appear that it was brought into general use, before the period men- 
tioned in the text. 



THE MARINER'S COMPASS. 285 

themselves by making to swim, in a basin of water, a load- 
stone suspended on a piece of cork : and to have remarked 
that, when left at liberty, one of its extremities pointed to 
the north. They had also remarked that, when a piece of 
iron is rubbed against the loadstone, it acquires also the 
property of turning towards the north, and of attracting 
needles and filings of iron. From one experiment to an- 
other, they proceeded to lay a needle, touched with the 
magnet, on two small bits of straw floating on the water, 
and to observe that the needle invariably turned its point 
towards the north. The first use they seem to have made 
of these experiments, was to impose upon simple people 
by the appearance of magic. For example, a hollow 
swan, or the figure of a mermaid, was made to swim in a 
basin of water, and to follow a knife with a bit of bread 
upon its point which had been previously rubbed on the 
loadstone. The experimenter convinced them of his 
power, by commanding, in this way, a needle laid on the 
surface of the water, to turn its point from the north to 
the east, or in any other direction. But some geniuses 
of more sublime and reflective powers of mind, seizing 
upon these hints, at last applied these experiments to the 
wants of navigation, and constructed an instrument, by 
the help of which the mariner can now direct his course to 
distant lands, through the vast and pathless ocean. 

In consequence of the discovery of this instrument, the 
coasts of almost every land on the surface of the globe 
have been explored, and a regular intercourse opened up 
between the remotest regions of the earth. Without the 
help of this noble invention, America, in all probability, 
would never have been discovered by the eastern nations — 
the vast continent of New Holland — the numerous and in- 
teresting islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans — the isles 
of Japan, and other immense territories inhabited by hu- 
man beings, would have remained as much unknown and 
unexplored as if they had never existed. And as the na- 
tions of Europe and the western parts of Asia were the 
sole depositories of the records of Revelation, they could 
never have conveyed the blessings of salvation to remote 
countries, and to unknown tribes of mankind, of whose 
existence they were entirely ignorant. Even although the 



286 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

whole terraqueous globe had been sketched out before 
them, in all its aspects and bearings, and ramifications of 
islands, continents, seas, and oceans, and the moral and 
political state of every tribe of its inhabitants displayed to 
view ; without a guide to direct their course through the 
billows of the ocean, they could have afforded no light and 
no relief to cheer the distant nations " who sit in dark- 
ness, and in the shadow of death.' ' Though the art of 
Printing had been invented ; though millions of Bibles were 
now prepared, adequate to the supply of all the " kindreds 
of the heathen ;" though ships in abundance were equip- 
ped for the enterprize, and thousands of missionaries 
ready to embark, and to devote their lives to the instruction 
of the Pagan world — all would be of no avail, and the 
" salvation of God" could never be proclaimed to the 
ends of the earth, uniess they had the Mariner's Compass 
to guide their course through the trackless ocean. 

In this invention then we behold a proof of the agency 
of Divine Providence, in directing the efforts of human ge- 
nius to subserve the most important designs, and contem- 
plate a striking specimen of the " manifold wisdom of 
God." When the pious and contemplative Israelite re- 
flected on the declaration of the prophets, that " the glory 
of Jehovah would be revealed, and that all flesh would see 
it together ;" — from the state of the arts which then exist- 
ed, he must have felt many difficulties in forming a con- 
ception of the manner in which such predictions could be 
realized. " The great and wide sea," now termed the 
Mediterranean, formed the boundary of his view, beyond 
which he was unable to penetrate. Of the continents and 
" the isles afar off," and of the far more spacious oceans 
that lay between, he had no knowledge ; and how " the 
ends of the earth" were to be reached, he could form no 
conception ; and, in the midst of his perplexing thoughts, 
he could find satisfaction only in the firm belief that " with 
God all things are possible." But now we are enabled not 
only to contemplate the grand designs of the Divine eco- 
nomy, but the principal means by which they shall all, in 
due time, be accomplished, in consequence of the progress 
of science and art, and of their consecration to the rear 
ing and extension of the Christian church , 



THE TELESCOPE. 281 

The two inventions to which I have now adverted, may 
perhaps be considered as among the most striking instan- 
ces of the connection of human art with the objects of 
Religion. But there are many other inventions which, at 
first view, do not appear to bear so near a relation to the 
progress of Christianity., and yet have an ultimate refer- 
ence to some of its grand and interesting objects. 

The Telescope. — We might be apt to think, on a slight 
view of the matter, that there can be no immediate relation 
between the grinding and polishing of an optic glass and 
fitting two or more of them in a tube, and — the enlarge- 
ment of our views of the operations of the Eternal Mind, 
Yet the connection between these two objects and the de- 
pendance of the latter upon the former, can be fairly de- 
monstrated. — The son of a spectacle-maker of Middleburg, 
in Holland, happening to amuse himself in his father's 
shop, by holding two glasses between his finger and his 
thumb, and varying their distance, perceived the weather- 
cock of the church spire opposite to him, much larger than 
ordinary, and apparently much nearer, and turned upside 
down. This new wonder excited the amazement of the 
father ; he adjusted two glasses on a board, rendering them 
moveable at pleasure ; and thus formed the first rude imi- 
tation of a perspective glass, by which distant objects are 
brought near to view. Galileo, a philosopher of Tuscany, 
hearing of the invention, set his mind to work, in order to 
bring it to perfection. He fixed his glasses at the end of 
long organ-pipes, and constructed a telescope, which he 
soon directed to different parts of the surrounding heavens. 
He discovered four moons revolving around the planet Ju- 
piter — spots on the surface of the Sun, and the rotation of 
that globe around its axis—mountains and valleys in the 
moon — and numbers of fixed stars where scarcely one was 
visible to the naked eye. These discoveries were made 
about the year 1610, a short time after the first invention 
of the telescope. Since that period, this instrument has 
passed through various degrees of improvement, and by 
means of it, celestial wonders have been explored in the 
distant spaces of the universe, which in former times were 
altogether concealed from mortal view. By the help of 
telescopes, combined with the art of measuring the dis- 



288 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tances and magnitudes of the heavenly bodies, our view- 
of the Grandeur of the Almighty, of the plentitude of his 
Power, and of the extent of his universal Empire, are ex- 
tended far beyond what could have been conceived in for- 
mer ages. Our prospects of the range of the Divine opera- 
tions are no longer confined within the limits of the world 
we inhabit ; — we can now plainly perceive that the king- 
dom of God is not only " an everlasting dominion,'' but 
that it extends through the unlimited regions of space, 
comprehending within its vast circumference thousands of 
suns, and ten thousands of worlds, all ranged in majestic 
order, at immense distances from one another, and all sup- 
ported and governed " by Him who rides on the heaven 
of heavens," whose greatness is unsearchable and whose 
understanding is infinite. 

The telescope has also demonstrated to us the literal 
truths those scriptural declarations which assert that the 
stars are " innumerable. " Before the invention of this in- 
strument, not more than about a thousand stars could be 
perceived by the unassisted eye in the clearest night. But 
this invention has unfolded to view not only thousands, but 
hundreds of thousands, and millions of those bright lumi- ■ 
naries, which lie dispersed in every direction throughout 
the boundless dimensions of space. And the higher the 
magnifying powers of the telescope are, the more nume- 
rous those celestial orbs appear ; leaving us no room to 
doubt, that countless myiiads more lie hid in the distant 
regions of creation, tar beyond the reach of the finest 
glasses that can be constructed by human skill, and which 
are known only to Him " who counts the number of the 
stars, and calls them by their names." 

In short, the telescope may be considered as serving the 
purpose of a vehicle for conveying us to the distant regions 
of space. We should consider it as a wonderful achieve- 
ment, could we transport ourselves two hundred thousand 
miles from the earth, in the direction of the 3Ioon. in order 
to take a nearer view of that celestial orb. But this in- 
strument enables us to take a much nearer inspection of 
that planet, than if we had actually surmounted the force of 
gravitation, traversed the voids of space, and left the earth 
230,000 miles behind us. For supposing such a journey 



THE TELESCOPE. 289 

to be accomplished, we should still be ten thousand miles 
distant from that orb. But a telescope which magnifies 
objects 240 times, can carry our views within one thousand 
miles of the moon ; and a telescope, such as Dr. HerschePs 
40 feet reflector, which magnifies 6000 times, would ena- 
ble us to view the mountains and vales of the moon, as if 
we were transported to a point about 40 miles from her 
surface.* We can view the magnificent system of the 
planet Saturn, by means of this instrument, as distinctly 
as if we had performed a journey eight hundred millions of 
miles in the direction of that globe, which, at the rate of 50 
miles an hour, would require a period of more than eigh- 
teen hundred years to accomplish. By the telescope, we 
can contemplate the region of the fixed stars, their arrange- 
ment into systems, and their immense numbers, with the 
same distinctness and amplitude of view, as if we had ac- 
tually taken a flight of ten hundred thousand millions of 
miles into those unexplored and unexplorable regions, 
which could not be accomplished in several millions of 
years, though our motion were as rapid as a ball projected 
from a loaded cannon. We would justly consider it as a 
noble endowment for enabling us to take an extensive 
survey of the works of God, if we had the faculty of trans- 



* Though the highest magnifying power of Dr. Herschel's large 
telescope was estimated at six thousand times, yet it does not appear 
that the Doctor ever applied this power with success, when viewing 
the moon and the planets. The deficiency of light, when using so 
high a power, would render the view of these objects less satisfactory 
than when viewed with a power of one or two thousand times. Still 
it is quite certain that if any portions of the moon's surface were 
viewed through an instrument of such a power, they would appear 
as large, (but not nearly so bright and distinct,) as if we were placed 
about 40 miles distant from that body. The enlargement of the angle 
of vision, in this case, or the apparent distance at which the moon 
would be contemplated, is found by dividing the moon's distance— 
240,000 miles by 6000, the magnifying power of the telescope, which 
produces a quotient of 40 — the number of miles at which the moon 
would appear to be placed from the eye of the observer. Dr. Her- 
schel appears to have used the highest powers of his telescopes only, 
or chiefly, when viewing some very minute objects in the region oi 
the stars. The powers he generally used, and with which he made 
most of his discoveries, were 227, 460, 754, 932, and occasionally 2100- 
3168, and 6450, when inspecting double and treble stars, and the 
more distant nebulae. 

26 



290 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

porting ourselves to such immense distances from the 
sphere we now occupy ; but by means of the telescopic 
tube, we may take nearly the same ample views of the do- 
minions of the Creator, without stirring a foot from the 
limits of our terrestrial abode. This instrument may, 
therefore, be considered as a providential gift bestowed up- 
on mankind, to serve, in the mean time, as a temporary sub* 
stitute for those powers of rapid flight with which the sera- 
phim are endowed, and for those superior faculties of mo- 
tion with which man himself may be invested, when he ar- 
rives at the summit of moral perfection.* 

The Microscope. — The J\Iicro8cor}e is another instru- 
ment, constructed on similar principles, which has greatly 
expanded our views of the " manifold wisdom of God.'* 
This instrument which discovers to us small objects invisi- 
ble to the naked eye, was invented soon after the invention 
and improvement of the telescope. By means of this op- 
tical contrivance, we perceive a variety of wonders in al- 
most every object in the animal, the vegetable, and the 
mineral kingdoms. We perceive that every particle of 
matter however minute, has a determinate form — that the 
very scales on the skin of a haddock are all beautifully in- 
terwoven and variegated, like pieces of net- work, which no 
art can imitate — that the points of the prickles of vegeta- 
bles, though magnified a thousand times, appear as sharp 
and well polished as to the naked eye — that every particle 
of the dust on a butterfly's wing is a beautiful and regularly 
organized feather — that every hair of our head is a hollow 
tube, with bulbs and roots, furnished with a variety of 
threads or filaments— and that the pores in our skin, through 
which the sweat and perspiration flow, are so numerous and 
minute, that a grain of sand would cover a hundred and 
twenty-five thousand of them. We perceive animated be- 
ings in certain liquids, so small that fifty thousand of them 
would not equal the size of a mite ; and yet each of these 
creatures is furnished with a mouth, eyes, stomach, blood- 
vessels, and other organs for the performance of animal 
functions. In a stagnant pool which is covered with a 
greenish scum during the summer months, every drop of 

+ See Appendix, No. VIII. 



THE MICROSCOPE. 291 

the water is found to be a world teeming with thousands of 
inhabitants. The mouldy substance which usually adheres 
to damp bodies exhibits a forest of trees and plants, where 
the branches, leaves, and fruit, can be plainly distinguished. 
In a word, by this admirable instrument we behold the same 
Almighty Hand which rounded the spacious globe on which 
we live, and the huge masses of the planetary orbs, and di- 
rects them in their rapid motions through the sky, — em- 
ployed, at the same moment, in rounding and polishing fen 
thousand minute transparent globes in the eye of a fly; 
and boring and arranging veins and arteries, and forming 
and clasping joints and claws, for the movements of a mite! 
We thus learn the admirable and astonishing effects of the 
Wisdom of God, and that the Divine Care and Benevo- 
lence are as much displayed in the construction of the 
smallest insect, as in the elephant, or the whale, or in those 
ponderous globes which roll around us in the sky. These, 
and thousands of other views which the microscope exhi- 
bits, would never have been displayed to the human mind 
had they not been opened up by this admirable invention. 
In fine, by means of the two instruments to which I have 
now adverted, we behold Jehovah's empire extending to 
infinity on either hand. By the telescope we are presented 
with the most astonishing displays of his omnipotence, in 
the immense number, the rapid motions, and the incon- 
ceivable magnitude of the celestial globes ; — and, by the 
microscope, we behold, what is still more inconceivable, a 
display of his unsearchable wisdom in the Divine mecha- 
nism, by which a drop of water is peopled with myriads of 
inhabitants — a fact, which, were it not subject to ocular de- 
monstration, would far exceed the limits of human con- 
ception or belief. We have thus the most striking and sen- 
sible evidence, that, from the immeasurable luminaries of 
heaven, and from the loftiest seraph that stands before the 
throne of God, down to this lower world, and to the small- 
est microscopic animalculathat eludes the finest glass— He 
is every where present, and by his power, intelligence, and 
agency, animates, supports, and directs the whole. Such 
views and contemplations naturally lead us to advert to 
the character of God as delineated by the sacred writers, 
that "He is of great power and mighty in strength ;" that 



292 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

"His understanding is infinite;" that " His works are 
wonderful;" that "His operations are unsearchable and 
past finding out ;" and they must excite the devout mind to 
join with fervor in the language of adoration and praise;— 

When thy amazing works, O God ! 

My mental eye surveys, 
" Transported with the view, I'm lost 

In wonder, love, and praise." 

Steam Navigation. — We might have been apt to sup- 
pose that the chemical experiments that were first made to 
demonstrate the force of Steam as a mechanical agent, could 
have little relation to the objects of religion, or even to the 
comfort of human life and society. Yet it has now been 
applied to the impelling of ships and large boats along ri- 
vers and seas, in opposition to both wind and tide, and with 
a velocity which, at an average, exceeds that of any other 
conveyance. We have no reason to believe that this in- 
vention has hitherto approximated to a state of perfection ; 
it is yet in its infancy, and may be susceptible of such im- 
provements, both in point of expedition and of safety, as 
may render it the most comfortable and speedy conveyance 
between distant lands, for transporting the volume of inspi- 
ration, and the heralds of the gospel of peace to "the ends 
of the earth." By the help of bis compass, the mariner is 
enabled to steer his course in the midst of the ocean, in the 
most cloudy days, and in the darkest nights, and to trans- 
port his vessel from one end of the world to another. It 
now only remains, that navigation be rendered safe, uni- 
form, and expeditious, and not dependent on adverse winds, 
or the currents of the ocean ; and perhaps the art of pro- 
pelling vessels by the force of steam, when arrived at per- 
fection, may effectuate those desirable purposes. Even at 
present, as the invention now stands, were a vessel fitted 
to encounter the waves of the Atlantic, constructed of a 
proper figure and curvature, having a proper disposition of 
her wheels, and having such a description of fuel as could 
be easily stowed, and in sufficient quantity for the voyage 
■ — at the rate often miles an hour, she could pass from the 
3hores of Britain to the coast of America, in less than thir- 
teen days ; — and even at eight miles an hour, the voyage 
could be completed in little more than fifteen days ; so that 



STEAM NAVIGATION. 293 

intelligence might pass and repass between the eastern and 
western Continents within the space of a single month — 
a space of time very little more than was requisite, sixty 
years ago, for conveying intelligence between Glasgow and 
London. The greatest distance at which any two places 
on the globe can lie from each other, is about 12,500 
miles ; and, therefore, if a direct portion of water inter- 
vene between them, this space could be traversed in fifty- 
four or sixty days. And if the isthmus of Panama, which 
connects North and South America, and the isthmus of 
Suez, which separates the Mediterranean from the Red 
Sea, were cut into wide and deep canals, (which we have 
no doubt will be accomplished as soon as civilized nations 
have access to perform operations in these territories,) 
every country in the world could then be reached from Eu- 
rope in nearly a direct line ; or at most, by a gentle curve, 
instead of the long, and dangerous, and circuitous route 
which must now be taken, in sailing for the eastern parts 
of Asia and the north-western shores of America. By 
this means, eight or nine thousand miles of sailing would 
be saved in a voyage from England to Nootka Sound, or 
the Peninsula of California ; and more than six thousand 
miles in passing from London to Bombay in the East In- 
dies : and few places on the east would be farther distant 
from each other by water than 15,000 miles ; which space 
might be traversed, at the rate mentioned above, in a pe- 
riod from sixty-two to seventy-seven days.* 

But we have reason to believe that when this invention, 
combined with other mechanical assistances, shall approxi- 
mate nearer to perfection, a much more rapid rate of mo- 
tion will be effected ; and the advantages of this, in a reli- 
gious as well as in a commercial point of view, may be 
easily appreciated ; especially at the present period, w T hen 
the Christian world, now aroused from their slumbers, have 
formed the grand design of sending a Bible to every inha- 
bitant of the globe. When the empire of the Prince of 
Darkness shall be shaken throughout all its dependencies, 
and the nations aroused to inquire after light, and liberty, 
and divine knowledge- — intelligence would thus be rapidly 



See Appendix. No. IX. 

2& 



294 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

communicated over every region, and between the most 
distant tribes. " Many would run to and fro, and know- 
ledge would be increased. " The Ambassadors of the Re- 
deemer, with the Oracles of Heaven in their hands and the 
words of salvation in their mouths, would quickly be trans- 
ported to every clime, " having the everlasting gospel to 
preach to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and 
people." 

Air Balloons. — Similar remarks may be applied to the 
invention of Air Balloons. We have heard of some pious 
people who have mourned over such inventions, and la- 
mented the folly of mankind in studying their construction 
and witnessing their exhibition. Such dispositions gene- 
rally proceed from a narrow range of thought, and a con- 
tracted view of the Divine Economy and arrangements in 
the work of Redemption. Though the perversity of man- 
kind has often applied useful inventions to foolish and even 
to vicious purposes, yet this forms no reason why such in- 
ventions should be decried ; otherwise the art of Printing, 
and many other useful arts, might be regarded as inimical 
to the human race. We have reason to believe that air hal- 
lo ons may yet be brought to such perfection as to be ap- 
plied to purposes highly beneficial to the progress of the 
human mind, and subservient, in some degree, for effecting 
the purposes of Providence in the enlightening and renova- 
tion of mankind. For this purpose, it is only requisite that 
some contrivance, on chemical or mechanical principles. 
be suggested, analogous to the sails or rudder of a ship, by 
which they may be moved in any direction, without being 
directed solely by the course of the wind ; and there can 
be little doubt that such a contrivance is jwssible to be ef- 
fected. It requires only suitable encouragement to be given 
to ingenious experimental philosophers, and a sufficient 
sum of money to enable them to prosecute their experi- 
ments on an extensive scale. To the want of such pre-re- 
quisites, it is chiefly owing, that the hints on this subject, 
hitherto suggested, have either failed of success, or have 
never been carried into execution. A more simple and ex* 
peditious process for filling balloons has lately been effected 
— the use of the parachute, by which a person may detach 
himself from the balloon, and descend to the earth, has been 



AIR BALLOONS* 295 

successfully tried, — the lightning of heaven has been drawn 
from the clouds, and forced to act as a mechanical power 
in splitting immense stones to pieces, — the atmosphere has 
been analyzed into its component parts, and the wonder- 
ful properties of the ingredients of which it is composed, 
exhibited in their separate state : and why then should we 
consider it as at all improbable that the means of producing 
a horizontal direction in aerial navigation, may soon be 
discovered 1 Were this object once effected, balloons 
might be applied to the purpose of surveying and exploring 
countries hitherto inaccessible, and of conveying the mes- 
sengers of divine mercy to tribes of our fellow-men whose 
existence is as yet unknown. 

We are certain that every portion of the inhabited world, 
must be thoroughly explored, and its inhabitants visited, 
before the salvation of God can be carried fully into effect; 
and, for the purpose of such explorations, we must of 
course resort to the inventions of human genius in art and 
science. Numerous tribes of the sons of Adam are. doubt- 
less, residing in regions of the earth with which we have no 
acquaintance, and to which we have no access, by any of 
the modes of conveyance presently in use. More than 
one-half of the interior parts of Africa and Asia, and even 
of America, are wholly unknown to the inhabitants of the 
civilized world. The vast regions of Chinese Tartary, 
Tibet, Siberia, and the adjacent districts ; almost the whole 
interior of Africa, and the continent of New Holland — the 
extensive isles of Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea, and Ja- 
pan, the territory of the Amazons, and the internal parts 
of North America, remain, for the most part, unknown 
and unexplored. The lofty and impassable ranges of moun- 
tains, and the deep and rapid rivers, which intervene be- 
tween us and many of those regions, together with the 
savage and plundering hordes of men, and the tribes of 
ravenous beasts, through which the traveller must push 
his way — -present to European adventurers barriers which 
they cannot expect to surmount, by the ordinary modes of 
conveyance, for a lapse of ages. But by balloons, con- 
structed with an apparatus for directing their motions, all 
such obstructions would at once be surmounted, The most 
impenetrable regions, now hemmed in by streams and 



296 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

marshes, and lofty mountains, and a barbarous population, 
would be quickly laid open ; and cities and nations, lakes 
and rivers, and fertile plains, to which we are now entire 
strangers, would soon burst upon the view. And the very 
circumstance that the messengers of peace and salvation 
descended upon such unknown tribes from the region of the 
clouds, might arouse their minds, and excite their attention 
and regard to the message of Divine mercy which they 
came thither to proclaim.* Such a scene (and it may pro- 
bably be realized) would present a literal fulfilment of the 
prediction of " angels flying through the midst q/" the ae- 
rial " heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to 
them that dwell upon the earth, and to every kindred and 
nation." 

That the attention of the philosophical world is present- 
ly directed to this subject, and that we have some prospect 
of the views above suggested being soon realized, will ap- 

* In this point of view, we cannot but feel the most poignant re- 
gret at the conduct of the Spaniards, after the discovery of America, 
towards the natives of that country. When those untutored people 
beheld the ships which had conveyed Columbus and his associates 
from the eastern world, the dresses and martial order of his troops, 
and heard their music, and the thunder of their cannon, they were 
filled with astonishment and wonder at the strange objects presented 
to their view ; they fell prostrate at their feet, and viewed them as a 
superior race of men. When Cortez afterwards entered the territories 
of Mexico, the same sentiments of reverence and admiration seemed 
to pervade its inhabitants. Had pure Christian motives actuated the 
minds of these adventurers, and had it been their ruling desire to 
communicate to those ignorant tribes the blessings of the Gospel o; 
peace, and to administer to their external comfort, the circumstances 
now stated would have been highly favorable to the success of mis- 
sionary exertion, and would have led them to listen with attention to 
the message from heaven. But, unfortunately for the cause of reli- 
gion, treachery, lust, cruelty, selfishness, and the cursed love of gold, 
predominated over every other feeling, affixed a stigma to the Chris- 
tian name, and rendered them cUrses, instead of blessings, to that 
newly-discovered race of men. It is most earnestly to be wished, 
that in future expeditions in quest of unknown tribes, a few intelli- 
gent and philanthropic missionaries may be appointed to direct the ad- 
venturers in their moral conduct and intercourse with the people 
they visit, in order that nothing inconsistent with Christian principle 
make its appearance. The uniform manifestation of Christian bene- 
volence, purity, and rectitude, by a superior race of men, would win 
the affections of a rude people far more effectually than all the pomp 
and ensigns of military parade. 



AIR BALLOONS* 297 

pear from the following notice, which lately made its ap- 
pearance in the London Scientific Journals : — " A Prize 
being offered for the discovery of a horizontal direction in 
Aerostation, M. Mingreli of Bologna, M. Pietripoli of 
Venice, and M. Lember of Nuremberg, have each assu- 
med the merit of resolving this problem. It does not ap- 
pear that any one of these has come forward to establish, 
by practical experiment, the validity of his claim ; but a 
pamphlet has lately been reprinted at Paris (first printed at 
Vienna) on this subject, addressed to all the learned Soci- 
eties in Europe. The following passage appears in the 
work : c Professor Robertson proposes to construct an 
aerostic machine, 150 feet in diameter, to be capable of 
raising 72,954 kilograms, equivalent to 149,037 lbs. weight 
(French). To be capable of conveying all necessaries 
for the support of sixty individuals, scientific characters, 
to be selected by the Academicians, and the aerial naviga- 
tions to last for some months, exploring different heights 
and climates, &c. in all seasons. If from accident or 
wear, the machine, elevated above the ocean, should fail in 
its functions, to be furnished with a ship that will ensure 
the return of the Aeronauts.' " 

Should any one be disposed to insinuate that the views 
now stated on this subject are chimerical and fallacious, I 
beg leave to remind them that, not more than twenty years 
ago, the idea of a large vessel, without oars and sails, to be 
navigated against the wind, with the rapidity of ten miles 
an hour, would have been considered as next to an impos- 
sibility, and a mere fanciful scheme which could never be 
realized. Yet we now behold such vehicles transporting 
whole villages to the places of their destination, with a de- 
gree of ease, comfort, and expedition, formerly unknown. 
And little more than forty years have elapsed, since it 
would have been viewed as still more chimerical to have 
broached the idea that a machine might be constructed, 
by which human beings might ascend more than two miles 
above the surface of the earth, and fly through the region 
of the clouds at the rate of seventy miles an hour, carrying 
along with them books, instruments, and provisions. Yet 
both these schemes have been fully realized, and like many 
other inventions of the human intellect, are doubtless 



298 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

intended to subserve some important ends in the economy 
of Divine Providence.* 

Acoustic Tunnels. — By means of the inventions just 
now adverted to, when brought to perfection, mankind may 
be enabled to transport themselves to every region of the 
globe, with a much greater degree of rapidity than has 
hitherto been attained. By the help of the microscope, 
we are enabled to contemplate the invisible worlds of life, 
and by the telescope we can penetrate into regions far be- 
yond the range of the unassisted eye. By the arts of 
Writing and Printing, we can communicate our sentiments. 



+ Balloons were first constructed in the year 1783, by Messrs. S. 
and J. Mongolfier, paper-manufacturers at Annonay, in France. A 
sheep, a cock, and a dack, were the first animals ever carried up into 
the air by these vehicles. At the end of their journey they were found 
perfectly safe and unhurt, and the sheep was even feeding at perfect 
ease. The first human being who ascended into the atmosphere in 
one of these machines, was M. Pilatre de Rozier. This adventurer 
ascended from amidst an astonished multitude assembled in a garden 
in Paris, on the 15th October, 1783, in a balloon, whose diameter 
was 48 feet, and its height about 74 ; and remained suspended above 
the city about four hours. Mr. Luna, r di, an Italian, soon after asto- 
nished the people of England and Scotland, by his aeriai excursions. 
Dr. G. Gregory gives the following account of his ascent : — %,> I was 
myself a spectator of the flight of Lunardi, and I never was present 
at a sight so interesting and sublime. The beauty of the gradual as- 
cent, united with a sentiment of terror, on account of the danger of 
the man, and the novelty and grandeur of the whole appearance, are 
more than words can express. A delicate woman was so overcome 
with the spectacle that she died upon the spot, as the balloon ascend- 
ed ; several fainted ; and the silent admiration of the anxious multi- 
tude was beyond any thing I had ever beheld." 

Balloons have been generally made of varnished silk, and of the 
shape of a globe or a spheroid, Irom thirty to fifty feet in diameter. 
They are filled with hydrogen gas, which, as formerly stated, is from 
twelve to fifteen times lighter than common air : and they rise into 
the atmosphere, on the same principle as a piece of cork ascends 
from the bottom of a pail of water. The aerial travellers are seated 
in a basket below the balloon, which is attached to it by means oi 
cords. — The Parachute is an invention, by which the voyager, in 
cases of alarm, may be enabled to desert his bailoon in mid-air, and 
descend without injury to the ground. They resemble an umbrella, 
but are of far greater extent. With one of these contrivances, 
twenty -three feet in diameter, M. Garnerin, having detached himself 
from his balloon, descended from a height of more than 4000 fee: 
and landed without shock or accident, 



ACOUSTIC TUNNELS. 299 

after a certain lapse of time, to every quarter of the world. 
In the progress of human knowledge and improvement, it 
would obviously be of considerable importance, could we 
extend the range of the human voice, and communicate 
intelligence to the distance of a thousand miles, in the 
course of two or three hours ; or could we hold an occa- 
sional conversation with a friend at the distance of 20 or 
30 miles. From experiments which have been lately 
made, in reference to the conveyance of sound, we have 
some reason to believe that such objects may not be alto- 
gether unattainable. It has been long known that wood is 
a good conductor of sound. If a watch be laid on one 
end of a long beam of timber, its beating will be distinctly 
heard, on applying the ear to the other end, though it could 
not be heard at the same distance through the air. In 
" Nicholson's Philosophical Journal" for February, 1803, 
Mr. E. Walker describes a simple apparatus, connected 
with a speaking trumpet, by means of which, at the dis- 
tance of \1\ feet, he held a conversation with another in 
whispers, too low to be heard through the air at that dis- 
tance. When the ear was placed in a certain position, the 
words were heard as if they had been spoken by an invisi- 
ble being within the trumpet. And what rendered the de- 
ception still more pleasing, the words were more distinct, 
softer, and more musical, than if they had been spoken 
through the air. 

About the year 1750, a merchant of Cleves, named Jo- 
rissen, who had become almost totally deaf, sitting one day 
near a harpsichord, while some one was playing, and having 
a tobacco-pipe in his mouth, the bowl of which rested ac- 
cidentally against the body of the instrument, he was agree- 
ably and unexpectedly surprised to hear all the notes in the 
most distinct manner. By a little reflection and practice, 
he again obtained the use of this valuable sense ; for he 
soon learned, by means of a piece of hard wood, one end 
of which he placed against his teeth, while another per- 
son placed the other end on his teeth, to keep up a con- 
versation, and to be able to understand the least whisper. 
In this way, two persons who have stopped their ears may 
converse with each other, when they hold a long stick or a 
series of sticks between their teeth, or rest their teeth 



800 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

against them. The effect is the same if the person who 
speaks rest the stick against his throat, or his breast, or 
when one rests the stick which he holds in his teeth against 
some vessel into which the other speaks ; and the effect 
will be the greater, the more the vessel is capable of tre- 
mulous motion. These experiments demonstrate the fa- 
cility with which the softest whispers may be transmitted. 
Water also is found to be a good conductor of sound. Dr. 
Franklin assures us that he has heard under water, at the 
distance of half a mile, the sound of two stones struck 
against each other. It has been also observed, that the 
velocity of sound is much greater in solid bodies, than in 
the air. By a series of experiments, instituted for the pur- 
pose of determining this point, Mr. Chladni found that 
the velocity of sound, in certain solid bodies, is 16 or 17 
times as great as in air. 

But what has a more particular bearing on the object 
hinted at above, is, the experiments lately made by M. 
Biot, " on the transmission of sound through solid bodies, 
and through air in very long tubes." These experiments 
were made by means of long cylindrical pipes, which were 
constructing for conduits and aqueducts, to embellish the 
city of Paris. With regard to the velocity of sound, it 
was ascertained that " its transmission through cast iron is 
10^ times as quick as through air." The pipes by which 
he wished to ascertain at what distance sounds are audible, 
were 1,039 yards, or nearly five furlongs, in length. M. 
Biot was stationed at the one end of this series of pipes, and 
Mr. Martin, a gentleman who assisted in the experiments, 
at the other. They heard the lowest voice, so as perfectly 
to distinguish the words, and to keep up a conversation on 
all the subjects of the experiments. " I wished," says M. 
Biot, " to determine the point at which the human voice 
ceases to be audible, but could not accomplish it : words, 
spoken as low as when we whisper a secret in another's 
ear, were heard and understood ; so that not to be heard, 
there was but one resource, that of not speaking at all. — 
This mode of conversing with an invisible neighbor, is so 
singular that we cannot help being surprised, even though 
acquainted with the cause. Between a question and an- 
swer, the interval was not greater than was necessary for 



ACOUSTIC TUNNELS. 301 

the transmission of sound. For Mr. Martin and me, at 
the distance of 1,039 yards, the time was about 5| seconds.' 5 
Reports of a pistol fired at one end occasioned a consider- 
able explosion at the other. The air was driven out of 
the pipe with sufficient force to give the hand a smart 
blow, to drive light substances out of it to the distance of 
half a yard, and to extinguish a candle, though it was 
1,039 yards distant from the place where the pistol was 
fired. A detailed account of these experiments may be 
seen in Nicholson'' s Phil. Jour, for October, 1811. Don 
Gautieiythe inventor of the Telegraph, suggested also the 
method cf conveying articulate sounds to a great dis- 
tance. He proposed to build horizontal tunnels, widen- 
ing at the remoter extremity, and found that at the distance 
of 400 fathoms, or nearly half a mile, the ticking of a 
watch could be heard far better than close to the ear, He 
calculated that a series of such tunnels would convey a 
message 900 miles in an hour. 

From the experiments now stated, it appears highly 
probable that sounds may be conveyed to an indefinite 
distance. If one man can converse with another at the 
distance of nearly three quarters of a mile, by means of the 
softest whisper, there is every reason to believe, that they 
could hold a conversation at the distance of 30 or 40 miles, 
provided the requisite tunnels were constructed for this 
purpose. The latter case does not appear more wonder- 
ful than the former. Were this point fully determined, by 
experiments conducted on a more extensive scale, a variety 
of interesting effects would follow from a practical appli- 
cation of the results. A person at one end of a large city, 
at an appointed hour might communicate a message, or 
hold a conversation with his friend at another ; friends in 
neighboring or even in distant towns, might hold an occa- 
sional correspondence by articulate sounds, and recognize 
each other's identity by their tones of voice. In the case 
of sickness, accident or death, intelligence could thus be 
instantly communicated, and the tender sympathy of friends 
immediately exchanged. A clergyman sitting in his own 
room in Edinburgh, were it at any time expedient, might 
address a congregation in Musselburgh or Dalkeith, or 
even in Glasgow. He might preach the same sermon to 

~26 



302 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

his own church, and the next hour to an assembly at forty 
miles distant. And surely there could be no valid objec- 
tion to trying the effect of an invisible preacher on a Chris- 
tian audience. On similar principles, an apparatus might 
be constructed for augmenting the strength of the human 
voice, so as to make it extend its force to an assembled 
multitude composed of fifty or a hundred thousand indi- 
viduals ; and the utility of such a power, when the mass 
of mankind are once thoroughly aroused to attend to ra- 
tional and religious instruction, may be easily conceived, 
In short, intelligence respecting every important discovery, 
occurrence, and event, might thus be communicated, 
through the extent of a whole kingdom, within the space 
of an hour after it had taken place. 

Let none imagine that such a project is either chimeri- 
cal or impossible. M. Biot's experiment is decisive, so far 
as it goes ; that the softest whisper, without any dimunition 
of its intensity, may be communicated to the distance of 
nearly three quarters of a mile ; and there is nothing but 
actual experiment wanting to convince us that the ordinary 
tones of the human voice may be conveyed, to at least 
twenty times that distance. We are just now acting on a 
similar principle, in distributing illumination through large 
cities. Not thirty years ago the idea of lighting our apart- 
ments by an invisible substance, produced at ten miles 
distance, would have been considered as chimerical, and as 
impossible to be realized as the idea of two persons con- 
versing together by articulate sounds, at such a distance. 
It appears no more wonderful that we should be able to 
hear at the distance of five or six miles, than that we should 
be enabled to see objects at that distance by the telescope. 
as distinctly as if we were within a few yards of them. 
Both are the effects of those principles and laws which 
the Creator has interwoven with the system of the material 
world ; and when man has discovered the mode of their 
operation, it remains with himself to apply them to his 
necessities. What the telescope is to the eye, acoustic 
tunnels would be to the ear ; and thus those senses on 
which our improvement in knowledge and enjoyment 
chiefly depends, would be gradually carried to the utmost 
perfection of which our station on earth will permit. Ann 



PRACTICAL REMARKS. 303 

as to the expense of constructing such communications for 
sound, the tenth part of the millions of money expended 
in the twenty-two years' war in which we were lately en- 
gaged, would, in all probability, be more than sufficient 
for distributing them, in numerous ramifications, through 
the whole island of Great Britain. Even although such a 
project were partially to fail of success, it would be a far 
more honorable and useful national undertaking than that 
which now occupies the attention of the despots on the 
continent of Europe, and might be accomplished with far 
less expenditure, either of blood or of money. Less than 
the fourth part of a million of pounds would be sufficient 
for trying an experiment of this kind, on an extensive scale : 
and such a sum is considered as a mere item, when fleets 
and armies are to be equipped for carrying destruction 
through sea and land. When will the war-madness cease 
its rage ! When will men desist from the work of de- 
struction, and employ their energies and their treasures in 
the cause of human improvement ! The most chimerical 
projects that were ever suggested by the most enthusias- 
tic visionary, are not half so ridiculous and degrading 
to the character of man, as those ambitious and despotic 
schemes, in which the powers of the earth in ali ages have 
been chiefly engaged. — But on this topic it is needless to 
enlarge, till more extended experiments shall have been 
undertaken. 

In the preceding sketches I have presented a few speci- 
mens of the relation which the inventions of human inge- 
nuity bear to religious objects. I intended to have traced 
the same relation in several other instances ; in the inven- 
tion of the electrical machine, the air-pump, mills, clocks 
and watches, gas-lights, chemical fumigations, inventions 
for enabling us to walk upon the water, to prevent and al- 
leviate the dangers of shipwreck, &c. &c. But as my 
prescribed limits will not permit farther enlargement, I 
trust that what has been already stated will be sufficient to 
establish and illustrate my general position. From this 
subject we may learn— 

1st. That the various processes of art, and the exertions 
of human ingenuity, are under the special direction of Him 
who arranges all things " according to the counsel of his 



304 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER 

will." As " the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, 
and as the rivers of waters, he turns it whithersoever he 
pleases ;" so all the varied schemes and movements of the 
human mind, the discoveries of science, and the diversifi- 
ed experiments of mechanics, chemists, and philosophers, 
are directed in such channels as may issue in the accom- 
plishment of His eternal purposes, in respect to the pre- 
sent and future condition of the inhabitants of our world. 
This truth is also plainly taught us in the records of Inspi- 
ration. "Doth the ploughman plough all day to sow? 
Doth he open and break the clods of his ground? When 
he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast 
abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin,* and cast in 
the wheat in the principal [place,] and the bailey in the 
appointed place, and the rye in its proper place ? For his 
God doth instruct him to discretion, and, doth teach him. 
This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who is 
wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." Agri- 
culture has, by most nations* been attributed to the sug- 
gestions of Deity ; for " every good and perfect gift cometh 
down from the Father of lights." It is he who hath taught 
men to dig from the bowels of the earth, iron, copper, 
lead, silver, and gold, and to apply them to useful purposes 
in social life ; and who hath given them " wisdom and un- 
derstanding" to apply the animal and vegetable produc- 
tions of nature to the manufacture of cloths, linen, mus- 
lin, and silk, for the use and the ornament of man. For, 
" all things are of God." " Both riches and honor come 
from him, and he reigneth over all, and in his hand is 
power and might ; and in his hand it is to make great, and 
to give strength to all." When the frame of the Mosaic 
Tabernacle, and all its curious vessels were to be con- 
structed, the mind of Bezaieel " was filled with the Spirit 
of God, in wisdom and understanding, and in knowledge, 
and in all manner of workmanship, to devise curious works 
in gold, and in silver, and in brass." And when the fa- 
bric of the New Testament church is to be reared and its 
boundaries extended, artificers of every description, ade- 



+ Fitches is a kind of seed frequently sown in Judea, for the use oi 
:attle ; and cummin is the seed of a plant somewhat like fennel. 



MILLENNIAL ERA. 305 

quate for carrying on the different parts of the work are 
raised up, and inspired with the spirit of their respective 
departments — some with the spirit of writing, printing, 
and publishing ; some with the spirit of preaching, lectu- 
ring, and catechising ; some with the spirit of fortitude, to 
make bold and daring adventures into distant barbarous 
climes ; and others, with the spirit of literature, of science, 
and of the mechanical arts — all acting as pioneers " to 
prepare the way of the Lord," and as builders for carry- 
ing forward and completing the fabric of the Christian 
Church. 

2dly. All the mechanical contrivances to which I have 
adverted, all the discoveries of science, and all the useful 
inventions of genius which may hereafter be exhibited, 
ought to be viewed as preparing the way for the millennial 
era of the church, and as having a certain tendency to the 
melioration of the external condition of mankind during 
its continuance. We are certain, from the very nature of 
things as well as from scriptural predictions, that when 
this period advances towards the summit of its glory, the 
external circumstances of this world's population will be 
comfortable, prosperous, and greatly meliorated beyond 
what they have ever been in the ages that are past— 
" Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even 
our own God, shall bless us. Then shall he give the rain 
of thy seed, that thou shalt sow thy ground withal, and 
bread of the increase of the earth : and it shall be fat and 
plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pas- 
tures ; the oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the 
ground shall eat savoury provender, which hath been win- 
nowed with the shovel and with the fan. And the inha- 
bitants shall not say, I am sick. They shall build houses 
and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of 
them. They shall not build, and another inhabit ; they 
shall not plant, and another eat ; for, as the days of a tree 
are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy 
the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, 
nor bring forth for trouble ; for they are the seed of the 
blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. The 
seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, and 
the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall 

26* 



306 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

give their dew ; the evil beasts shall cease out of the land, 
and they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his 
fig-tree, and none shall make him afraid : for wars shall 
cease to the ends of the world, and the knowledge of the 
Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea."* 
Diseases will be, in a great measure, banished from the 
world, and the life of man extended far beyond its present 
duration — agriculture will be brought to perfection — com- 
modious habitations erected for the comfortable accom- 
modation of all ranks — cities built on elegant and spacious 
plans, adapted to health, ornament, and pleasure ; divested 
of all the filth, and darkness, and gloom, and narrow lanes 
which now disgrace the abodes of men — roads will be con- 
strueted on improved principles, with comfortable means 
of retreat for shelter and accommodation at all seasons ; 
and conveyances invented for the ease, and safety, and ra- 
pid conveyance of persons and property from one place 
to another. Either the climates of the earth will be me- 
liorated by the universal cultivation of the soil, so that 
storms and tempests, thunders and lightnings, shall no 
longer produce their present ravages^ or, chemical and 
mechanical contrivances will be invented to ward off their 
destructive effects. The landscape of the earth will be 
adorned with vegetable and architectural beauty ; and, in- 
stead of horse-racing, demoralizing plays, routs, and mas- 
querades, boxing, and bull-baits — artificial displays of 
scenery will be exhibited, more congenial to the dignity of 
rational, renovated, and immortal minds. For, " the know- 
ledge of the Lord," and the " beauties of holiness," will 
pervade men of all ranks and ages, " from the least even 
to the greatest."! 



* Psalm lxvii. Isaiah xxx. 23, 24. xxxiii. 24. lxv. 21, 23, &e. 

t The various circumstances above-stated may be considered a? 
the natural results of the state of society on which the light of science 
and of revelation has diffused its full influence, and where the active 
powers of the human mind are invariably directed by the pure 
principles and precepts of Christianity. That the duration of hu- 
man life, at the era referred to, will be extended beyond its present 
boundary, appears to be intimated in some of the passages above- 
quoted, particularly the following — "As the days of a tree shall b( 
the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of 
their hands. ? ' And, if the life of man will be thus protraoted to an 



MILLENNIAL ERA* 307 

Now as we have no reason to expect any miraculous 
interference, we must regard the past, and the future useful 
inventions of philosophy and mechanics, as having a bear- 
ing on this glorious period, and a tendency to promote the 
improvement and the felicity of those who shall live during 
this era of Messiah's reign. If diseases are to be generally 
abolished, it will be owing to the researches of the scien- 
tific physician in discovering certain antidotes against every 
disorder, and to the practice of temperance, meekness, 
eajaanimity of mind, and every other mean of preserving 
the vigor of the animal frame. If the earth is to produce 
its treasures in abundance, and with little labor, it will be 
owing, in part, to the improvement of agricultural science, 
and of the instruments by which its operations are con- 
ducted. If the lightnings of heaven shall no longer prove 
destructive to man and to the labors of his hands, it will 
be effected either by machinery for drawing off the elec- 
tricity of a stormy cloud, or by the invention of thunder- 
guards, which shall afford a complete protection from its 
ravages. In these, and numerous other instances, the in- 
ventions of men, under the guidance of the Spirit of Wis- 
dom, will have a tendency to remove a great part of the 
Curse which has so long hung over our sinful world. And 
since the inventions of human skill and ingenuity for the 
melioration of mankind, and for the swift conveyance of 
intelligence have, of late years, been rapidly increasing, at 
the same time when the Christian world is roused to increa- 
sed exertions in disseminating the Scriptures throughout 
all lands, when general knowledge is increasingly diffused, 
and when the fabric of Superstition and Despotism is sha- 
king to its foundations, — these combined and simultaneous 
movements seem plainly to indicate, that that auspicious 
era is fast hastening on, when " the glory of Jehovah shall 



indefinite period, it will follow, that those diseases which now prey 
upon the human frame, and cut short its vital action, will be in a 
great measure extirpated. Both these effects may be viewed (with- 
out supposing any miraculous interference) as the natural conse- 
quences of that happiness and equanimity of mind which will flow 
from the practice of Christian virtues, from the enlargement of our 
knowledge of the principles of nature, and from the physical enjoy- 
ments which such a state of society will furnish. 



308 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together," when 
" righteousness and praise shall spring forth before all na- 
tions," and when " Holiness to the Lord," shall be inscri- 
bed on all the pursuits, and implements, and employments 
of men. 

Lastly, if the remarks suggested above be well founded, 
we may conclude that the mechanical and philosophical in- 
ventions of genius are worthy of the attentive consideration 
of the enlightened Christian, particularly in the relation 
they may have to the accomplishment of religious objects. 
He should contemplate the experiments of scientific men, 
not as a waste of time, or the mere gratification of an idle 
curiosity, but as embodying the germs of those improve- 
ments, by which civilization, domestic comfort, knowledge, 
and moral principle may be diffused among the nations. 
To view such objects with apathy and indifference, as be- 
neath the regard of a religious character, argues a weak 
and limited understanding, and a contracted view of the 
grand operations* of a Superintend ins; Providence. 



CHAPTER IV, 

SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINES AND FACTS ILLUSTRATED 
FROM THE SYSTEM OF NATURE. * 



Without spending time in any introductory observation? 
on this subject, it may be remarked in general, 

L — That scientific knowledge, or an acquaintance with the 
System of Nature, may frequently serve as a guide to 
the true interpretation of Scripture, 

It may be laid down as an universal principle, that there 
can be no real discrepancy between a just interpretation 
of Scripture, and the facts of physical science ; and on 
this principle the following canon is founded, which may 
be considered as an infallible rule for Scripture-interpreta- 
tion, namely, — That no interpretation of Scripture ought 
to be admitted ivhich is inconsistent with any well" authenti- 
cated fads in the material world. By well- authenticated 
facts, I do not mean the theories of philosophers, or the 
deductions they may have drawn from them, nor the con- 
fident assertions or plausible reasonings of scientific men 
in support of any prevailing system of Natural science ; 
but those facts which are universally admitted, and the 
reality of which every scientific inquirer has it in his 
power to ascertain : such as that the earth is not an ex- 
tended plane, but a round or globular body, and that the 
rays of the sun, when converged to a focus by a large con- 
vex glass, will set fire to combustible substances. Such 
facts, when ascertained, ought to be considered as a reve- 
lation from God, as well as the declarations of his word : 



* Under this head, it was originally intended to embrace an elu- 
cidation of a considerable variety of the facts recorded in Sacred 
History, and of the allusions of the inspired writers to the system o f 
nature; but as the volume has already swelled beyond the limits 
proposed, I am reluctantly compelled to confine myself to the illus- 
tration of only two or three topics, 



310 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

for they make known to us a portion of his character, of 
his plans and his operations. — This rule may be otherwise 
expressed as follows : — Where a passage of Scripture is of 
doubtful meaning, or capable of different interpretations , 
that interpretation ought to be preferred xvhich will best 
agree with the established discoveries of science. For, 
since the Author of revelation and the Author of universal 
nature is one and the same Infinite Being, there must exist 
a complete harmony between the revelations of his word, 
and the facts or relations which are observed in the mate- 
rial universe. To suppose the contrary, would be to sup- 
pose the Almighty capable of inconsistency ; a supposi- 
tion which would go far to shake our confidence in the 
theology of Nature, as well as of Revelation. If, in any 
one instance, a Record claiming to be a Revelation from 
heaven were found to contradict a well-known fact in the 
material world ; if, for example, it asserted, in express 
terms, to be literally understood, that the earth is a quies- 
cent body in the centre of the universe, or that the moon 
is no larger than a mountain; it would be a fair conclu- 
sion, either that the revelation is not Divine, or that the 
passages embodying such assertions are interpolations, or 
that science, in reference to these points, has not yet arri- 
ved at the truth. The example, we are aware, is inappli- 
cable to the Christian Revelation, which rests securely on 
its 'own basis, and to which science is gradually approxi- 
mating, as it advances in the amplitude of its views, and 
the correctness of its deductions ; — but it shows us how 
necessary it is, in interpreting the Word of God, to keep 
our eye fixed upon his Works ; for we may rest assured, 
that truth in the one will always correspond with fact in 
the other. 

To illustrate the rule now laid down, an example or 
two may be stated. — If it be a fact that geological research 
has ascertained that the materials of the strata of the earth, 
are of a more ancient date than the Mosaic account of the 
commencement of the present race of men ; the passages 
in the first chapter of Genesis, and other parts of Scrip- 
ture, which refer to the origin of our world, must be ex- 
plained as conveying the idea that the earth was then 
merely arranged into its present form and order, oat of the 



SCRIPTURAL FACTS ILLUSTRATED. 311 

materials which previously existed in a confused mass, and 
which had been created by the Almighty at a prior period 
in duration. For Moses no where asserts that the mate- 
rials of our globe were created or brought into existence 
out of nothing, at the time to which his history refers ; but 
insinuates the contrary. " For the earth," says he, prior 
to its present constitution, " was without form and void," 
&c. — Again, if it be a fact that the universe is indefinitely 
extended, that of many millions of vast globes which 
diversify the voids of space, only two or three have any 
immediate connection with the earth ; then it will appear 
most reasonable to conclude, that those expressions in the 
Mosaic history of the creation, which refer to the creation 
of the fixed stars, are not to be understood as referring to 
the time when they were brought into existence, as if they 
had been created about the same time with our earth ; but 
as simply declaring the fact, that, at what period soever in 
duration they were created, they derived their existence 
from God, That they did not all commence their ex- 
istence at that period, is demonstrable from the fact that 
within the space of 2000 years past, and even within the 
space of the two last centuries, new stars have appeared 
in the heavens, which previously did not exist in the con- 
cave of the firmament ; which, consequently, have been 
created since the Mosaic period ; or at least, had under- 
gone -a change analogous to that which took place in our 
globe, when it emerged from a chaotic state, to the form 
and order in which we now behold it. Consequently the 
phrase, " God rested from all his works," must be under- 
stood, not absolutely, or in reference to the whole system 
of nature, but merely in relation to our world ; and as im- 
porting that the Creator then ceased to form any new spe- 
cies of beings on the terraqueous globe.— The same 
canon will direct us in the interpretation of those passages 
which refer to the last judgment, and the destruction ot 
the present constitution of our globe. When in reference 
to these events, it is said, " that the stars shall fall from 
heaven," that " the powers of heaven shall be shaken, 5 ' 
and that " the earth and the heaven shall flee away," our 
knowledge of the system of nature leads us to conclude, 
either that such expressions are merely metaphorical, or 



312 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

that they describe only the appearance, not the reality 
of things. For it is impossible that the stars can ever fall 
to the earth, since each of them is of a size vastly supe- 
rior to our globe, and could never be attracted to its sur- 
face, without unhinging the laws and the fabric of univer- 
sal nature. The appearance, however, of the " heaven 
fleeing away," would be produced, should the earth's 
diurnal rotation, at that period, be suddenly stopped, as 
will most probably happen ; in which case, all nature, in 
this sublunary system, would be thrown into confusion, 
and the heavens, with all their host, would appear to flee 
away. 

Now the scientific student of Scripture alone can judi- 
ciously apply the canon to which I have advened ; he alone 
can appreciate its utility in the interpretation of the sacred 
oracles ; for he knows the facts which the philosopher and 
the astronomer have ascertained to exist in the system of 
nature ; from the want of which information, many divines, 
whose comments on Scripture have, in other respects, been 
judicious, have displayed their ignorance, and fallen into 
egregious blunders, when attempting to explain the first 
chapters of Genesis, and several parts of the book of Job. 
which have tended to bring discredit on the oracles of 
heaven. 

II. — The System of Nature Confirms and Illustrates the 
Scriptural Doctrine of the Depravity of Man. 

In the preceding parts of this volume, I have stated se- 
veral striking instances of Divine benevolence, which ap- 
pear in the construction of the organs of the animal sys- 
tem, in the constitution of the earth, the waters, and the 
atmosphere, and in the variety of beauties and sublimities 
which adorn the face of nature ; all which proclaim, in lan- 
guage which can scarcely be mistaken, that the Creator 
has a special regard to the happiness of his creatures. — 
Yet the Scriptures uniformly declare, that man has fallen 
from his primeval state of innocence, and has violated the 
laws of his Maker ; that "his heart is deceitful above all 
things, and desperately wicked ;" and that " destruction and 
misery are in his ways." Observation and experience also 
demonstrate, that a moral disease pervades the whole hu- 



DEPRAVITY OF MAN* 313 

man family, from the most savage to the most civilized 
tribes of mankind ; which has displayed its virulence in 
those wars and devastations which have, in all ages, con- 
vulsed the world ; and which daily displays itself in those 
acts of injustice, fraud, oppression, malice, tyranny, and 
cruelty, which are perpetrated in every country, and among 
all the ranks even of civilized life. That a world inhabited 
by moral agents of this description would display, in its 
physical constitution, certain indications of its Creator's 
displeasure, is what we should naturally expect, from a con- 
sideration of those attributes of his nature with which we 
are acquainted. Accordingly we find that amidst all the 
evidences of benevolence which our globe exhibits, there 
are not wanting certain displays of " the wrath of Heaven 
against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," in 
order to arouse them to a sense of their guilt, and to in- 
spire them with reverence and awe of that Being whom 
they have offended. The following facts, among many 
others, may be considered as corroborating this position. 

In the first place, The present state of the interior strata 
of the earth may be considered as a -presumptive evidence 
that a moral revolution has taken place since man was 
placed upon the globe. When we penetrate into the inte- 
rior recesses of the earth, we find its different strata bent 
into the most irregular forms ; sometimes lying horizontal- 
ly, sometimes projecting upwards, and sometimes down- 
wards, and thrown into confusion ; as if some dreadful 
concussion had spread its ravages through every part of the 
solid crust of our globe. This is visible in every region of 
the earth. Wherever the miner penetrates among its sub- 
terraneous recesses, wherever the fissures and caverns of 
the earth are explored, and wherever the mountains lay 
bare their rugged cliffs, the marks of ruin, convulsion, and. 
disorder meet the eye of the beholder. Evidences of these 
facts are to be found in the records of all intelligent travel- 
lers and geologists who have visited Alpine districts, or 
explored the subterraneous regions of the earth; of which 
I have already stated a few instances, in the article Geo- 
logij, pp. 180, 187, 188. These facts seem evidently to 
indicate that the earth is not now in the same state in 
which it originally proceeded from the hand of its Creator : 

27 



314 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

for such a scene of disruption and derangement appear? 
incompatible with that order, harmony, and beauty which 
are apparent in the other departments of nature. "We dare 
not assert that such terrible convulsions took place by 
chance, or independent of the will of the Creator ; nor 
dare we insinuate that they were the effects of a random 
display of Almighty Power ; and, therefore, we are neces- 
sarily led to infer that a moral cause, connected with the 
conduct of the rational inhabitants of the globe, must have 
existed, to warrant so awful an interposition of Divine 
Power ; for the fate of the animated beings which then 
peopled the earth, was involved in the consequences which 
must have attended this terrible catastrophe. The volume 
of Revelation on this point, concurs with the deductions of 
reason, and assigns a cause adequate to warrant the pro- 
duction of such an extraordinary effect. " The wicked- 
ness of man was great upon the earth; the earth was 
filled with violence ; every purpose and desire of 
man's heart was only evil continually." Man had 
frustrated the end of his existence ; the earth was turned 
into a habitation of demons ; the long period to which his 
life was protracted, only served to harden him in his wick- 
edness, and to enable him to carry his diabolical schemes 
to their utmost extent, till the social state of the human 
race became a scene of unmixed depravity and misery. 
And the physical effects of the punishment of this univer- 
sal defection from God, are presented to our view in every 
land, and will remain to all ages, as a visible memorial 
that man has rebelled against the authority of his Maker. 
2, The existence of Volcanoes, and the terrible ravages 
they produce, bear testimony to the state of man as a de- 
praved intelligence. A volcano is a mountain, generally 
of an immense size, from whose summit issue fire, smoke, 
sulphur, and torrents of melted lava, (see p. 159.) Pre- 
vious to an eruption, the smoke, which is continually as- 
cending from the crater, or opening in the top, increases 
and shoots up to an immense height ; forked lightning issues 
from the ascending column ; showers of ashes are thrown 
out to the distance of forty or fifty miles ; volleys of red 
hot stones are discharged to a great height in the air : the 
sky appears thick and dark ; the luminaries of heaven dis- 



DEPRAVITY OF MAN, 315 

appear ; and these terrible forebodings are accompanied 
with thunder, lightning, frequent concussions of the earth, 
and dreadful subterraneous bellowings. When these 
alarming appearances have continued sometimes four or 
five months, the lava begins to make its appearance, either 
boiling over the top, or forcing its way through the side of 
the mountain. This fiery deluge of melted minerals rolls 
down the declivity of the mountain, forming a dismal fla- 
ming stream, sometimes fourteen miles long, six miles 
broad, and 200 feet deep. In its course it destroys or- 
chards, vineyards, cornfields, and villages ; and sometimes 
cities, containing twenty thousand inhabitants, have been 
swallowed up and consumed. Several other phenomena, 
of awful sublimity, sometimes accompany these eruptions. 
In the eruption of Vesuvius, in 1794, a shock of an earth- 
quake was felt ; and at the same instant, a fountain of 
bright fire, attended with the blackest smoke and a loud 
report, was seen to issue, and to rise to a great height from 
the cone of the mountain ; and was soon succeeded by 
fifteen other fiery fountains, all in a direct line, extending 
for a mile and a half downwards. This fiery scene was 
accompanied with the loudest thunder, the incessant re- 
ports of which, like those of a numerous heavy artillery, 
"were attended by a continued hollow murmur, similar to 
that of the roaring of the ocean during a violent storm. 
The houses in Naples, at seven miles distance, were for 
several hours in a constant tremor ; the bells ringing, and 
doors and windows incessantly rattling and shaking. The 
murmur of the prayers and lamentations of a numerous 
population added to the horrors of the scene. All travel- 
lers who have witnessed these eruptions seem to be at a 
loss to find words sufficiently emphatic to express the ter- 
rors of the scene. " One cannot form a juster idea," says 
Bishop Berkley, " of the noise emitted by the mountain, 
than by imagining a mixed sound made up of the raging 
of a tempest, the murmur of a troubled sea, and the roar- 
ing of thunder and artillery, confused altogether. Though 
we heard this at the distance of twelve miles, yet it was 
very terrible ." In 1744, the flames of Cotopaxi, in South 
America, rose 3,000 feet above the brink of the crater, and 
its roarings were heard at the distance of six hundred miles. 



316 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

" At the port of Guayaquill, 150 miles distant from the cra- 
ter," says Humboldt, " we heard, day and night, the noise 
of this volcano, like continued discharges of a battery, and 
we distinguished these tremendous sounds even on the 
Pacific ocean." 

The ravages produced by volcanoes are in proportion 
to the terror they inspire. In the eruption of Etna in 1669. 
the stream of lava destroyed, in 40 days, the habitations 
of 27,000 persons ; and of 20,000 inhabitants of the city 
of Catania, only 3,000 escaped. In the year 79, the cele- 
brated cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely 
overwhelmed and buried under ground by an eruption of 
Vesuvius, and the spots on which they stood remained un- 
known for 1600 years. Since that period, about 40 erup- 
tions have taken place, each of them producing the most 
dreadful ravages. But the volcanoes of Asia and Ame- 
rica are still more terrible and destructive than those of 
Europe. The volcanic mountain Pichincha, near Quito, 
caused, on one occasion, the destruction of 35,000 inhabi- 
tants. In the year 1772, an eruption of a mountain in the 
island of Java destroyed 40 villages, and several thousands 
of the inhabitants ; and in October, 1822, eighty-eight ham- 
lets, and above 2000 persons were destroyed in the same 
island, by a sudden eruption from a new volcano. The 
eruption of Tomboro, in the island of Sumbawa, in 1815. 
was so dreadful, that all the Moluccas, Java, Sumatra, and 
Borneo, to the distance of a thousand miles from the moun- 
tain, felt, tremulous motions, and heard the report of ex- 
plosions. In Java, at the distance of 340 miles, the clouds 
of ashes from the volcano produced utter darkness. 

Volcanoes are more numerous than is generally imagi- 
ned. They are to be found in every quarter of the world, 
from the icy shores of Kamtschatka to the mountains of 
Patagonia. Humboldt enumerates 40 volcanoes constant- 
ly burning, between Cotopaxi and the Pacific Ocean ; 20 
have been observed in the chain of mountains that stretches 
along Kamtschatka ; and many of them are to be seen in the 
Philippines, the Moluccas, the Cape de Verd, the Sandwich, 
the Ladrone, and other islands in the Indian and Pacific 
oceans. It is stated in vol. 6th of Sup. to Enc. Brit, lately pu- 
blished, that about 205 volcanoes are known, including only 



DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 317 

those which have been active within a period to which his- 
tory or tradition reaches. Europe contains 14 ; and of 
the whole number, it is computed that 107 are in islands, 
and 9S on the great continents. 

Can we then suppose that so many engines of terror 
and destruction, dispersed over every quarter of the globe, 
are consistent with the conduct of a benevolent Creator 
towards an innocent race of men ? If so, we must either 
admit that the Creator had it not in his power, when ar- 
ranging our terrestrial system, to prevent the occasional 
action of these dreadful ravagers, or, that he is indifferent 
to the happiness of his innocent offspring. The former 
admission is inconsistent with the idea of his Omnipotence, 
and the latter with the idea of his universal Benevolence. 
It is not, therefore, enthusiasm, but the fairest deduction 
of reason, to conclude that they are indications of God's 
displeasure against a race of transgressors who have apos- 
tatized from his laws. 

3. The same reasoning will apply to the ravages produ- 
ced by Earthquakes. Next to volcanoes, earthquakes are 
the most terrific phenomena of nature, and are even far 
more destructive to man> and to the labors of his hands. 
An earthquake, which consists in a sudden motion of the 
earth, is generally preceded by a rumbling sound, some- 
times like that of a number of carriages driving furiously 
along the pavement of a street, sometimes like the rushing 
noise of a mighty wind, and sometimes like the explosions 
of artillery. Their effect on the surface of the earth is 
various. Sometimes it is instantaneously heaved up in a 
perpendicular direction, and sometimes it assumes a kind 
of rolling motion, from side to side. — The ravages which 
earthquakes have produced, are terrible beyond description ; 
and are accomplished almost in a moment. In 1692, the 
city of Port-Royal, in Jamaica, was destroyed by an earth- 
quake, in the space of two minutes, and the houses sunk 
into a gulph forty fathoms deep. In 1693, an earthquake 
happened in Sicily, which either destroyed, or greatly 
damaged, fifty-four cities, and an incredible number of vil- 
lages. The city of Catania was utterly overthrown : the 
sea all of a sudden began to roar ; mount Etna to send 
forth immense spires of flame ; and immediately a shock 

27* 



318 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

ensued, as if all the artillery in the world had been dis- 
charged. The birds flew about astonished ; the sun was 
darkened ; the beasts ran howling from the hills ; a dark 
cloud of dust covered the air ; and though the shock did 
not last three minutes, yet nineteen thousand of the inha- 
bitants of the city perished in the ruins. This shock ex- 
tended to a circumference of 7000 miles. 

Earthquakes have been producing their ravages in va- 
rious parts of the world, and in every age. Pliny informs 
us, that 12 cities in Asia Minor were swallowed up in one 
night. In the year 115, the city of Antioch and a great 
part of the adjacent country, were buried by an earthquake. 
About 300 years after, it was again destroyed, along with 
40,000 inhabitants ; and after an interval of only 60 years, 
it was a third time overturned with the loss of not less than 
60,000 souls. In 1755, Lisbon was destroyed by an earth- 
quake, and it buried under its ruins above 50,000 inhabit- 
ants. The effects of this terrible earthquake were felt over 
the greater part of Europe and Africa, and even in the 
midst of the Atlantic ocean ; and are calculated to have 
extended over a space of not less than 4 millions of square 
miles. In August, 1822, two-thirds of the city of Aleppo, 
which contained 40,000 houses, and 200,000 inhabitants, 
were destroyed by an earthquake, and nearly thirty thou- 
sand inhabitants were buried under the ruins. — To suppose 
that the human beings who have been victims to the rava- 
ges of earthquakes and volcanoes, " were sinners above 
all those who dwelt around them," would be the height of 
impiety and presumption. But the fact that thousands ot 
rational beings have been swept from existence, in a man- 
ner so horrible and tremendous, seems plainly to indicate 
that they belonged to a race of apostate intelligences, who 
had violated the commands of their Creator. Such visi- 
tations are quite accordant to the idea of man being in the 
condition of a transgressor ; but if he were an innocent 
creature, they would be altogether unaccountable, as hap- 
pening under the government of a Being of unbounded 
benevolence. 

4. The phenomena of thunder-storms, tempests, and hur- 
ricanes, and the ravages they produce, are also presump- 
tive proofs that man is a depraved intelligence. In that 



DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 319 

season of the year when Nature is arrayed in her most 
beautiful attire, and the whole terrestrial landscape tends 
to inspire the mind with cheerfulness — suddenly a sable 
cloud emerges from the horizon — the sky assumes a bale- 
ful aspect — a dismal gloom envelopes the face of nature— 
the lightnings flash from one end of the horizon to another 
— the thunders roll with awful majesty along the verge of 
heaven, till at length they burst over head in tremendous 
explosions. The sturdy oak is shattered and despoiled of 
its foliage ; rocks are rent into shivers ; and the grazing 
herds are struck into a lifeless group. Even man is not 
exempted from danger in the midst of this appalling scene. 
For hundreds in every age have fallen victims either to the 
direct stroke of the lightning, or to the concussions and 
conflagrations with which it has been attended. In tropi- 
cal countries, the phenomena of thunder-storms are more 
dreadful and appalling than in our temperate climate. The 
thunder frequently continues for days and weeks in almost 
one incessant roar ; the rains are poured down in torrents ; 
and the flashes of lightning follow each other in so rapid a 
succession, that the whole atmosphere and the surrounding 
hills seem to be in a blaze. In some instances, the most 
dreadful effects have been produced by the bursting of an 
electrical cloud. In 1772, a bright cloud was observed at 
midnight to cover a mountain in the island of Java ; it 
eThitted globes of fire so luminous, that the night became 
as clear as day. Its effects were astonishing. Every thing 
was destroyed for 7 leagues round ; houses were demolish- 
ed ; plantations buried in the earth ; and 2140 people lost 
their lives, besides 1500 head of cattle, and a vast number 
of horses and other animals. — Ency. Brit Art. Cloud. 

Is it not reasonable, then, to conclude that such awful 
phenomena as storms, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are so 
many occasional indications of the frown of an offended 
Creator upon a race of transgressors, in order to arouse 
them to a sense of their apostacy from the God of heaven? 
We cannot conceive that such physical operations, accom- 
panied by so many terrific and destructive effects, are at ail 
compatible with the idea that man is at present in a para- 
disiacal state, and possessed of that moral purity in which 
he was created. Such appalling displays of Almighty pow- 



320 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

er are in complete unison with the idea, that man i3 a 
transgressor, and that the present dispensations of God are 
a mixture of mercy and of judgment ; but if he belong to an 
innocent race of moral intelligences, they appear quite 
anomalous, and are altogether inexplicable, on the suppo- 
sition that a Being of infinite benevolence and rectitude 
directs the operations of the physical and moral world : 
more especially when we consider the admirable care which 
is displayed in the construction of animal bodies, in order 
to prevent pain, and to produce pleasurable sensations. 
When man was first brought into existence, his thoughts 
and affections, we must suppose, were in unison with the 
will of his Creator ; his mind was serene and unruffled ; 
and, consequently, no forboding apprehensions of danger 
would, in such a state, take possession of his breast. But 
after he had swerved from the path of primeval rectitude, 
and especially after the Deluge had swept away the inha- 
bitants of the Antediluvian world, the constitution of the 
earth and the atmosphere seems to have undergone a 
mighty change, corresponding to the degraded state into 
which he had fallen ; so that those very elements which 
may have formerly ministered to his enjoyment — by being 
formed into different combinations — now conspire to pro- 
duce terror and destruction. 

The same important conclusion might have been dedu- 
ced, from a consideration of the immense deserts of marsh- 
es and barren sands which are dispersed over the globe — 
the vast and frightful regions of ice around the poles — the 
position of the mineral strata, and the vast disproportion 
which the extent of the dry land bears to the expanse of 
the ocean — -ail which circumstances, and many others, in 
conjunction with the facts above-stated, conspire to show 
that man no longer stands in the rank of a pure intelli- 
gence ; and that his habitation corresponds, in some de- 
gree, to his state of moral degradation. By overlooking 
this consideration, St. Pierre, and other naturalists, have 
found themselves much at a loss, when attempting to vin- 
dicate the wisdom and equity of Providence, in the physi- 
cal disorders which exist in the present constitution of our 
globe. The circumstance that man is a fallen creature, 
appears the only clue to guide us in unravelling the rayste- 



DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 321 

ries of Providence, and to enable us to perceive the har- 
mony and consistency of the Divine operations in the sys- 
tem of nature ; and no other consideration will fully ac- 
count for the disorders which exist in the present econo- 
my of our world. 

But it is a most consoling consideration that, amidst all 
the physical evils which abound, the benevolence and mer- 
cy of God are admirably blended with the indications of 
his displeasure. Thunder-storms and tempests contri- 
bute to the purification of the atmosphere ; and volcanoes 
are converted into funnels for vomiting up those fiery ma- 
terials which produce earthquakes, and which might other- 
wise swallow up whole provinces in one mighty gulf. In 
the ordinary course of things, such phenomena are more 
terrific than destructive ; and are calculated rather to 
rouse an unthinking world to consideration, than to prove 
the instruments of human destruction. Compared with 
the miseries which men have voluntarily inflicted on one 
another, the destructive effects of the elements of nature 
dwindle into mere temporary and trifling accidents. We 
have reason to believe that a much greater destruction of 
human beings has been produced by two or three of the 
late battles in modern Europe, such as those of Waterloo* 
Borodina, and Smolensko, than has been produced by all 
the electrical storms, earthquakes, and volcanic erup- 
tions, which have raged for the space of a hundred years. 
It has been calculated that during the Russian campaign 
of 1812, including men, women, and children, belonging 
to the French and Russians, there were not less than five 
hundred thousand human victims sacrificed to the demon 
of war. It is probable that the destruction produced 
among the human race, by the convulsions of nature, since 
the commencement of time, (the deluge only excepted,) 
does not amount to above four or five millions of lives ; 
but were we to take into account the destruction of human 
life produced by ambition, tyranny, oppression, supersti- 
tion, wars, devastations, murders, and horrid cruelties, in 
every period of the world, it would doubtless amount to 
several hundreds of millions. So that amidst the most 
terrible displays of the displeasure of God against the sins 
of men, mercy is mingled with judgment ; and while man 



322 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

is the greatest enemy and destroyer of his own species, 
benevolence is the prominent feature of all the arrange- 
ments of the Deity in the physical world. For " bis ten- 
der mercies are over all his works. '** 

III. — The discoveries which have been made in the system 
of nature illustrate the doctrine of the Resurrection of 
the Dead. 

The doctrine of a Resurrection from the dead, at first 
view, appears to involve in it a variety of difficulties and 
apparent contradictions. That a complex organical ma- 
chine, as the human body is, consisting of thousands of 
diversified parts for the performance of its functions, after 
it has been reduced to atoms, and those atoms dispersed to 
" the four winds of heaven" — should be again reared up 
with the same materials, in a new and more glorious form — 
is an idea which seems to baffle the human comprehen- 
sion ; and, in all probability, would never have entered the 
mind of man, had it not been communicated by Divine 
Revelation. Accordingly we find that the philosophers 
of antiquity, though many of them believed in the doc- 
trine of a future state, never once dreamed that the bo- 
dies of men, after they had been committed to the dust, 
would ever again be reanimated ; and hence, when the 
Apostle Paul proposed this doctrine to the Athenian phi- 
losophers, they scouted the idea, as if it had been the re- 
very of a madman. And indeed without a strong con- 
viction, and a lively impression of the infinite power and 
intelligence of God, the mind cannot rely with unshaken 
confidence on the declaration of a future fact so widely 
different from all the obvious phenomena of nature, and 
from every thing that lies within the range of human ex- 
perience. " If a man die," says Job, " shall he live again ? 
There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will 
sprout again, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But 



+ The facts stated in this section are expressed, for the most part, 
in the author's own words, lor the sake of compression. — His au- 
thorities are, Goldsmith's " Natural Hist." Humboldt's S* Travels," 
Brydon's " Tour," Sir W. Hamilton's » Observations," Raffle's " His- 
tory of Java," Ency. Brit. Art. Etna Volcano, Earthquake, AfUtrteh, 
Cloud; The Literary and Scientific Journals for 182-2, kc, 



THE RESURRECTION ILLUSTRATED. 323 

man dieth and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth up the 
ghost, and where is he ?" When the mind, however, is 
frequently exercised in contemplations on the stupendous 
works of the Almighty, it must feel an impressive convic- 
tion that " nothing can be too hard for Jehovah." When 
we endeavor to draw aside the veil which conceals many 
of the scenes of nature from the vulgar eye, we perceive 
a variety of operations and analogies, which tend to assist 
us in forming a conception, not only of the possibility of a 
resurrection, but also of the maimer in which it may pro- 
bably be effected, when the power of Omnipotence is 
interposed. 

The transformations of insects afford us a beautiful 
illustration of this subject. All the butterflies, which we 
see fluttering about in the summer months, were originally 
caterpillars. Before they arrive at that highest stage of 
their existence, they pass through four different transfor- 
mations. The first state of a butterfly is that of an egg ; 
it next assumes the form of a loathsome crawling worm : 
after remaining some time in this state, it throws off its 
caterpillar skin ; languishes ; refuses to eat ; ceases to 
move ; and is shut up, as it were, in a tomb. In this state 
the animal is termed a chrysalis : it is covered with a thin 
crust or shell, and remains sometimes for six or eight 
months, without motion and apparently without life. After 
remaining its allotted time in this torpid condition, it be- 
gins to acquire new life and vigor ; it bursts its imprison- 
ment, and comes tbrth a butterfly, with wings tinged with 
the most beautiful colors. It mounts the air ; it ranges 
from flower to flower, and seems to rejoice in its new and 
splendid existence. How very different does it appear in 
this state from what it did in the preceding stages of its 
existence 1 How unlikely did it seem that a rough, hairy, 
crawling worm, which lay for such a length of time in a 
death- like torpor, and enshrouded in a tomb, should be 
reanimated, as it were, and changed into so beautiful a 
form, and endowed with such powers of rapid motion ! 
Perhaps the change to be effected on the bodies of men, at 
the general resurrection, may not be greater, nor more 
wonderful in its nature, than are the changes which take 
place from the first to the last stage of a caterpillar's ex- 



324 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

istence. In such transformations, then, we behold a lively 
representation of the death and resurrection of a righteous 
man. " A little while he shall lie in the ground, as the 
seed lies in the bosom of the earth ; but he shall be raised 
again, and shall never die any more." 

There is another illustration, taken from a consideration 
of the chemical changes of matter, which has a still more 
direct bearing on the doctrine of a resurrection. We 
know that substances, which are invisibly incorporated 
with air, water, and other fluids, and which seem to be 
destroyed, may be made to re-appear in their original form 
by the application of certain chemical agents. For ex- 
ample; put a small piece of solid camphor into a phiat 
half-filled with alcohol, or spirits of wine ; in a short time 
the camphor will be dissolved in the fluid, and the spirit 
will be as transparent as at first. If water be now added, 
it will unite with the ardent spirit, and the camphor will be 
separated and fall to the bottom of the phiaL In this way 
the camphor may be nearly all recovered as at first ; and 
by distillation the alcohol may also be separated from the 
water, and exhibited in a separate state. I have already 
noticed that Carbon, which forms an essential part of all 
animal and vegetable substances, is found to be not only 
indestructible by age, but in all its combinations, which 
are infinitely diversified, it still preserves its identity. In 
the state of carbonic acid it exists in unison with earths and 
stones in unbounded quantities ; and though buried for 
thousands of years beneath immense rocks, or in the cen- 
tre of mountains, it is still carbonic acid ; for no sooner is 
it disengaged from its dormitory than it rises with all the 
life and vigor of recent formation, not in the least impaired 
by its torpid inactivity during a lapse of ages. The beams 
of the theatre at Herculaneum were converted into charcoal 
(which is one of the compounds of Carbon) by the lava 
which overflowed that city, during an eruption of Mount 
Vesuvius ; and during the lapse of 1700 years, the char- 
coal has remained as entire as if it had been formed but 
yesterday ; and it will probably continue so to the end of 
the world. In addition to these facts it may be stated, that 
provision has been made for the restoration of the fallen 
leaves of vegetables which rot upon the ground, and. to a 



GENERAL CONFLAGRATION. 325 

careless observer, would appear to be lost for ever. It 
has been shown by experiment, that whenever the soil be- 
comes charged with such matter, the oxygen of the at- 
mosphere combines with it, and converts it into carbonic 
acid gas. The consequence of which is, that this very 
same carbon is, in process of time, absorbed by a new 
race of vegetables, which it clothes with a new foliage, 
and which is itself destined to undergo similar putrefac- 
tion and renovation to the end of time.* 

These facts, and others of a similar description which 
might have been stated, demonstrate, that one of the con- 
stituent parts of animal bodies remains unalterably the 
same, amidst all the revolutions of time, and all the changes 
and decompositions which take place in the system of na- 
ture ; and, consequently, that though human bodies may 
remain in a state of putrefaction for ages, in the earth and 
in the waters, yet their component parts remain unchanged, 
and in readiness to enter into a new and more glorious 
combination, at the command of that Intelligence to 
whom all the principles of nature and all their diversified 
changes are intimately known ; and whose Power is able 
to direct their combinations to the accomplishment of his 
purposes. — Though such considerations as these may have 
no weight on certain unreflecting minds, that never meet 
with any difficulties in the economy either of Nature or of 
Redemption ; yet, the man of deep reflection, who has 
frequently had his mind distracted with the apparent im- 
probability of the accomplishment of certain Divine de- 
clarations, will joyfully embrace such facts in the economy 
of nature, as a sensible support to his faith in the promises 
of his God ; and will resign his body to dust and putre- 
faction, in the firm hope of emerging from the tomb to a 
future and more glorious transformation. 

TV. —The discoveries of Science tend to illustrate the Doc- 
trine of the General Conflagration. 
We are informed, in the Sacred oracles, that a period 
is approaching, when " the elements shall melt with fer- 
vent heat, and the earth, and the works that are therein, 
shall be burned up." Science has ascertained certain 
facts in the constitution of nature, which lead us to form 

* Parkes- " Chesi. Catechism," p. 266, and the additional notes, 

28 



326 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

some conception of the manner in which this awful catas~ 
trophe may probably be effected, and also of the ease with 
which it may be accomplished, when the destined period 
shall have arrived. It was formerly stated, (pp. 80, 254,) 
that the atmosphere, or the air we breathe, is a compound 
substance, composed of two very different and opposite 
principles, termed oxygen and nitrogen. The oxygen, 
which forms about a fifth part of the atmosphere, is now 
ascertained to be the principle of flame ; a lighted taper 
immersed in this gas, burns with a brilliancy too great for 
the eye to bear ; and even a rod of iron or steel is made 
to blaze under its energy. 

The modern infidel, like the scoffers of old, scouts the 
idea of the dissolution of the world, and of the restitution 
of the universe, " because all things continue as they were 
from the beginning of the creation ; not knowing the 
Scriptures, nor the Power of God ;" and not considering 
the principles and facts in the system of nature, which 
indicate the possibility of such an event. But from the 
fact now stated we may learn how easily this effect may be 
accomplished, even in conformity with those laws which 
now operate in the constitution of our globe. For should 
the Creator issue forth his Almighty Fiat — " Let the nitro- 
gen of the atmosphere be completely separated from the 
oxygen, and let the oxygen exert its native energies with- 
out control, wherever it extends ; 5 ' — from what we know 
of its nature, we are warranted to conclude, that instantly 
a universal conflagration would commence throughout all 
the kingdoms of nature — not only wood, coals, sulphur, 
bitumen, and other combustible substances, but even the 
hardest rocks and stones, and all the metals, fossils, and 
minerals, and water itself, which is a compound of two in- 
flammable substances, would blaze with a rapidity which 
would cany destruction through the whole expanse of the 
terraqueous globe, and change its present aspect into that 
of a new world ; — at the same time all the other laws of 
nature might still operate as they have hitherto done since 
the creation of the world. 

I do not mean positively to assert, that this is the agent 
which the Almighty will certainly employ for accomplish- 
ing this terrible catastrophe, (though we think it highly 
probable,) since Infinite Power is possessed of numerous 



GENERAL CONFLAGRATION. 327 

resources for accomplishing its objects, which lie beyond 
the sphere of our knowledge and comprehension. But I 
have brought forward this fact, to show with what infinite 
ease this event may be accomplished, when Almighty 
Power is interposed. By means of the knowledge we 
have acquired of the constitution of the atmosphere, and 
by the aid of chemical apparatus, we can perform experi- 
ments on a small scale, similar in kind, though infinitely 
inferior in degree, to the awful event under consideration. 
And, therefore, we can easily conceive that He who form- 
ed the expansive atmosphere which surrounds us, and who 
knows the native energy of its constituent principles, may, 
by a simple volition, make that invisible fluid, in a few 
moments, the cause of the destruction of the present con- 
stitution of our world, and at the same time the means of 
its subsequent renovation. For, as fire does not annihi- 
late, but only changes the forms of matter, this globe on 
which we now tread, and which bears the marks of ruin 
and disruption in several parts of its structure, may come 
forth from the flames of the general conflagration, purified 
from all its physical evils, adorned with new beauties and 
sublimities, and rendered a fit habitation for pure intelli- 
gences, either of our own species or of another order. 
For, though " the heavens," or the atmosphere, " shall be 
dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat ;" 
" yet" says the apostle Peter " we, according to his pro- 
mise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein 
dwelleth righteousness." Whether, after being thus reno- 
vated, it shail be allotted as the residence of the redeemed 
inhabitants of our world, is beyond our province at present 
to determine. But if not, it will in all probability be al- 
lotted as the abode of other rational beings, who may be 
transported from other regions, to contemplate a new pro- 
vince of the Divine empire, or who may be immediately 
created for the purpose of taking possession of this reno- 
vated world. For we have reason to believe that the en- 
ergies of Creating Power will be continually exerted, in 
replenishing the boundless universe, throughout all the 
ages of infinite duration, and that no substances, or worldjB 
which God has created, will ever be suffered to fall into 
annihilation — at least, that the original atoms of matter will 
never be destroyed, whatever new forms they may assume. 



328 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

and however varied the combinations into which they may 
enter. 

The above are only a few examples out of many which 
were intended to be specified, of the illustrations which the 
system of nature affords of the doctrines and facts of Re- 
velation, but the narrow limits of this volume prevent far- 
ther enlargement. 

It was also intended to follow up the preceding discus- 
sions with particular illustrations of the following topics : — 
The views which science affords of the incessant energies 
of Creating Power — the changes and revolutions which ap- 
pear to have happened, and which are still going on in the 
distant regions of the universe, as tending to amplify our 
views of the grand and multifarious objects over luhich Di- 
vine providence presides — the connection of science with a 
future state — the aids which the discoveries of science af- 
ford, in enabling us to form a conception of the scenes of 
future felicity— of the employments of the heavenly inha- 
bitants, and of their perpetual advances in knowledge and 
happiness, and in their views of the perfections of Deity — 
the moral relations of intelligent beings to their Creator, 
and to each other ; and the physical grounds or reasons of 
those moral laws which the Deity has promulgated for re- 
gulating the conduct, and for promoting the harmony and 
order of intelligent agents — illustrations of the allusions of 
the Sacred writers to the system of the material world — the 
simultaneous progress of science and religion, considered 
as an evidence of the connection of the one with the other 
— the moral effects of the study of science in connection 
with religion — replies to objections and insinuations which 
have been thrown out against the idea of combining the 
discoveries of Science with the discoveries of Revelation, 
&c. But, as illustrations of these, and various other to- 
pics connected with them, would occupy two or three hun- 
dred pages, they must, in the mean time, be postponed.* 

+ A work, embracing illustrations of some of the topics here stated, 
is preparing for the press, and will probably be published about the 
beginning of 1826, under the title of u The Philosophy of Religion; 
or, an Illustration of the Moral Laws of the Universe, on the princi- 
ples of Reason and of Divine Revelation." In this work, an original, 
and, at the same time, a popular train of thought will be prosecuted, 
and the different topics will be enlivened with illustrative facts, bor- 
rowed from the scenery of nature and the moral history of mankind, 



CHAPTER V. 

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WHICH MIGHT RESULT TO 

CHRISTIAN SOCIETY FROxM CONNECTING 

THE DISCOVERIES OF SCIENCE WITH 

THE OBJECTS OF RELIGION. 



I. — The variety of topics which ivould be introduced in- 
to Christian Instructions, by connecting them with the 
manifestations of Deity in the System of JYature, would 

HAVE A TENDENCY TO ALLURE THE ATTENTION OF THE 

young to religious subjects, and to afford JMental 
Entertainment, and Moral Instruction to intelligent 
minds of every description. 

Novelty and variety appear to be essentially requisite in 
order to rouse the attention, not only of the more ignorant, 
but even of the more intelligent class of mankind, and to 
excite them to make progress in the path of intellectual 
and moral improvement. The principle of curiosity, 
which appears at a very early period of life, and which va- 
riegated scenery and novel objects tend to stimulate and to 
gratify — so far from being checked and decried, in a reli- 
gious point of view, as some have been disposed to do, 
ought to be encouraged and cultivated in the minds both 
of the old and of the young. As it is a principle which 
God himself has implanted in our natures, for wise and 
important purposes, it requires only to be chastened, and 
directed in a proper channel, in order to become one of 
the most powerful auxiliaries in the cause of religion, and 
of intellectual improvement. To gratify this principle, 
and to increase its activity, the Creator has adorned our 
globe with a combination of beauties and sublimities, 
strewed in endless variety over all its different regions. 
The hills and dales, the mountains and plains ; the 
seas, the lakes, the rivers, the islands of every form 

28* 



330 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

and size which diversify the surface of the ocean ; the bays, 
the gulfs, and peninsulas ; the forests, the groves, the deep 
dells, and towering cliffs ; the infinite variety of trees, 
plants, flowers, and vegetable productions of every hue, 
so profusely scattered over the face of Nature ; the diver- 
sified productions of the mineral kingdom : the variegated 
coloring spread over the face of nature ; together with the 
many thousands of different species of animated beings 
which traverse the air, the waters, and the earth — afford so 
many stimuli to rouse this principle into exercise, and to 
direct the mind to the contemplation of the Creator. And 
as the earth displays an endless diversity of objects, so the 
heavens, in so far as they have been explored, exhibit a 
scenery both grand and variegated. There is not a planet 
in the Solar System but differs from another, in its magni- 
tude, in its distance from the central luminary about which 
it revolves, in the velocity of its motion, in the extent of 
the circle it describes around the sun, in the period of time 
in which its revolution is completed, in its rotation round 
its axis, in the number of moons with which it is attended, 
in the inclination of its axis to the plane of its orbit, and 
the diversity of seasons which results from this circum- 
stance ; in the density of its atmosphere, and the various 
appearances which diversify its surface. And if we were 
favored with a nearer view of these majestic orbs, we 
should, doubtless, behold a similar variety in every part of 
their internal arrangements. — The surface of the moon 
presents a variegated prospect of mountains and vales, but 
so very different in their form, position, and arrangement, 
from what obtains on the surface of our globe, that it 
would exhibit a scenery altogether new and uncommon to 
an inhabitant of this world, were he placed on the surface 
of that planet. Every comet, too, is distinguished from 
another, by its magnitude, the extent of its atmosphere, 
the length of its blazing tail, the rapidity of its motion, and 
the figure of the curve it describes around the sun. With 
regard to the fixed stars which are distributed, of every 
size, and in every direction, through the immensity of 
space, our senses, as well as the declaration of an inspired 
writer, convince us, that in point of brilliancy, color, and 
magnitude, " one star dirTereth from another star in glory. ? " 



VARIETY OF TOPICS IN RELIGION. 33! 

And as the system of Nature in all its parts presents a 
boundless variety of scenery, to arouse the attention, and 
to gratify the desire for novelty, so the Revelation of God 
contained in the Sacred Records, displays a diversified 
combination of the most sublime and interesting subjects 
and events. Were we to form an opinion of the compass 
of Divine Revelation, from the range of subjects to which 
the minds of some professing Christians are confined, it 
might all be comprehended within the limits of five or six 
chapters of the New Testament ; and all the rest might be 
thrown aside, as a dead-weight upon the Christian System. 
But here, as in all the other displays of the Almighty, Di- 
vine Perfection and Providence are exhibited in the most 
diversified aspects. Here we have recorded a history of 
the creation and arrangement of our globe, — of the forma- 
tion of the first human pair, — of their primeval innocence, 
temptation and fall, — of the arts which were cultivated in 
the first ages of the world, — of the increase of human 
wickedness, — of the building of the ark,— of the drowning 
of the world by an universal deluge, — of the burning of So- 
dom by fire from the clouds, — of the origin of languages, — 
of the dividing of the Red Sea, of the journeying of the 
tribes of Israel through the deserts of Arabia, of their con- 
quest of the promised land, and their wars with the nations 
of Canaan, — of the corporeal translation of Elijah from 
earth to heaven, — of the manifestation of the Son of God 
in human flesh, the benevolent miracles he performed, and 
the triumphs he obtained over all the powers of hell and 
earth. — We are here presented with the most interesting 
and affecting narratives, elegies, dramatic poems and tri- 
umphal songs, — with views of society in the earliest ages 
of the world, when the lives of men were prolonged to 
nearly a thousand years, — with splendid miracles performed 
in the land of Egypt, in the wilderness of Horeb, and in the 
" field of Zoan," when " the sun and moon stood still in their 
habitation ;" when the waters of the great deep were divi- 
ded, and mountains shook and trembled "at the presence 
of Jehovah," — with the " glorious marching" of a whole 
nation through the Arabian deserts, under the guidance of 
a miraculous pillar of cloud and fire, — with the visits of 
celestial messengers, and the visible symbols of "a present 



832 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

Deity," — with prophetical delineations of the present and 
future condition of the race of Adam, — with descriptions 
of the Power, Wisdom, Love, and Majesty of the Almighty, 
and of his operations in Heaven and Earth, — -with the re- 
sults and bearing of the Economy of Redemption, — ^with 
Divine Songs, Odes and Hymns, composed by angels 
and inspired men, — with maxims of moral wisdom, exam- 
ples of sublime eloquence, of strength of reasoning, and 
of manly boidness of reproof, — with Proverbs, Parables, 
Allegories, Exhortations, Promises, Threatenings, and 
Consolatory Addresses. — In short, we have here detailed, 
in the greatest variety — History, Antiquities, Voyages, 
Travels, Philosophy, Geography, Natural and Moral 
Science, Biography, Arts, Epic Poetry, Epistles, Memoirs, 
Delineations of Nature, Sketches of Human Character, 
Moral Precepts, Prophecies, Miracles, Narrations, Won- 
derful Providences, Marvellous Deliverances, the Pheno- 
mena of the Air, the Waters, and the Earth ; the Past, the 
Present, and the Future Scenes of the World — all blend- 
ed together in one harmonious system, without artificial 
order, but with a majesty and grandeur corresponding to 
the style of all the other works of God, — and all calcula- 
ted to gratify the principle of curiosity— to convey "re- 
proof, correction, and instruction, in righteousness, " anc\ 
"to make the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished 
to every good work." 

And, as the scenes of Nature, and the scenes of Revela- 
tion, are thus wonderfully diversified, in order to excite the 
attention of intelligent beings, and to gratify the desire for 
variety, so we have every reason to believe that the scenes, 
objects, and dispensations, which will be displayed in the 
heavenly world, will be incomparably more grand and di- 
versified. When we consider the immensity of God's Uni- 
versal Kingdom, and the numerous systems, and worlds, 
and beings comprehended within its vast circumference, 
and that the energies of Creating Power maybe forever ex- 
erted in raising new worlds into existence — we may rest 
assured, that the desire of variety and of novelty, in holy 
intelligences, will be completely gratified throughout an 
endless succession of existence ; and that the most luxuriant 
imagination, in its boldest excursions, can never go beyond 



VARIETY OF TOPICS IN RELIGION* 333 

the reality of those scenes of diversified grandeur which 
the heaven of heavens will display. 

Now, since the book of Nature and the book of Reve- 
lation, since all the manifestations of the Creator in heaven 
and earth are characterized by their sublime and diversified 
aspect ; we would ask, why should we not be imitators of 
God, in displaying the diversified grandeur of his Kingdom 
of Providence and of Grace before the minds of those 
whom we profess to instruct ? Why should we confine our 
views to a few points in the Christian system, to a few 
stones in the fabric of the Divine operations, when " a wide 
and unbounded prospect lies before us V? Why should we 
not rather attempt to rouse the moral and intellectual en- 
ergies of mankind from the pulpit, from the press, in the 
school-room, and in the family circle, by exhibiting the 
boundless variety of aspect which the Revelations of Hea- 
ven present, and the holy tendencies of devout contempla- 
tion on the works and the ways of God 1 that they may 
learn, with intelligence, to " meditate on all the works of 
the Lord, and to talk of all his doings." — By enlarging and 
diversifying the topics of religious discussion, according to 
the views now stated, we have it in our power to spread 
out an intellectual feast to allure and to gratify every vari- 
ety of taste, — the young and the old, the learned and the 
unlearned ; yea, even the careless and the ignorant, the 
sceptical and the dissipated, might frequently be allured by 
the selection of a judicious variety of striking and im- 
pressive objects and descriptions, to partake of those men- 
tal enjoyments which might ultimately issue in the happiest 
results. The man of an inquisitive turn of mind, who now 
throws aside every thing that has the appearance of religion, 
on account of its dulness, might have his curiosity gratified 
amidst such a variety as that to which I allude ; and, from 
perceiving the bearing of every discussion on the great re- 
alities of religion and a future state, might be led to more 
serious inquiries after the path that leads to immortality. 
In a word, to associate and to amalgamate, as it were, the 
arts and sciences, and every department of useful know- 
ledge, with divine subjects, is to consecrate them to their 
original and legitimate ends, and to present religion to the 
eyes of men, in its most sublime, and comprehensive, and 



334 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

attractive form, corresponding to what appears to be the 
design of the Creator, in all the manifestations he has given 
of himself, in the System of Nature, in the Operations of 
Providence, and in the Economy of Redemption. 

II. — By connecting Science icith Religion, Christians 
would be enabled to take an extensive survey of the 
kingdom of God. 

How very narrow and limited are the views of most pro- 
fessors of religion respecting the universal Kingdom of 
Jehovah, and the range of his operations ! The views of 
some individuals are confined chiefly within the limits of 
their own parish, or at farthest, extend only to the blue 
mountains that skirt their horizon, and form the boundary 
of their sight. Within this narrow circle, all their ideas 
of God, of religion, and of the relations of intelligent be- 
ings to each other, are chiefly confined. There are 
others, who form an extensive class of our population, 
whose ideas are confined nearly to the county in which 
they reside, and to the adjacent districts ; and there are 
few, comparatively, whose views extend beyond the con- 
fines of the kingdom to which they belong — though the 
whole island in which we reside is less than the two thou- 
sandth part of the globe we inhabit. Of the vast extent 
of this earthly ball, of its figure and motions, of its conti- 
nents, seas, islands, and oceans ; of its volcanoes and 
ranges of mountains, of its numerous and diversified cli- 
mates and landscapes ; of the various nations and tribes 
of mankind that people its surface, and of the moral go- 
vernment of God respecting them, — they are almost as 
completely ignorant as the untutored Greenlander, or the 
roving savage, — With regard to the objects which lie be- 
yond the boundary of our world, they have no precise and 
definite conceptions. When the moon is " walking in 
brightness" through the heavens, they take the advantage 
of her light to prosecute their journeys ; and when the 
sky is overcast with clouds, and they are anxious to travel 
a few miles to their destined homes, they will lift up their 
eyes to the heavens to see if any of the stars are twink- 
ling through the gloom, that their footsteps may be directed 
by their glimmering rays. Beyond this they seldom soar, 



AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 335 

What may be the nature of the vast assemblage of shining 
points which adorn the canopy of their habitation, and the 
ends they are destined to accomplish in the plan of the 
Creator's operations, they consider as no part of their pro- 
vince to inquire. 

" Their minds, fair Science never taught to stray 
Far as the Solar Worlds, or Milky Way." 

How very different, in point of variety, of grandeur, and 
of extent, are the views of the man who connects ali the 
different departments of knowledge, and the discoveries 
of science, with his prospects of God's Universal Domi- 
nions and Government! With his mental eye he can 
traverse the different regions of th*e earth, and penetrate 
into the most distant and retired recesses where human 
beings have their residence. — He can contemplate and 
adore the conduct of Divine Sovereignty, in leaving so 
many nations to grope amidst the darkness of Heathen 
Idolatry, — he can trace the beams of the Sun of Right- 
eousness, as they gradually arise to illumine the benight- 
ed tribes of men, — he can direct his prayers, with intelli- 
gence and fervor, in behalf of particular kindreds and people, 
— he can devise with judgment and discrimination, schemes 
for carrying the " Salvation of God" into effect, — he can 
realize, in some measure, to his mental sight, the glorious 
and happy scenes which will be displayed in the future 
ages of time, when " the kingdoms of this world shall 
become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ," and 
when the " everlasting gospel" shall be published, and its 
blessings distributed among all who dwell upon the face of 
the earth. — He can bound from this earth to the planetary 
worlds, and survey far more spacious globes, peopled with 
a higher order of intelligences, arranged and superintend- 
ed by the same Almighty Sovereign, who " doeth accord- 
ing to his will among the inhabitants of the earth." He 
can wing his way beyond the visible region of the sky, till 
he finds himself surrounded on every hand with suns and 
systems of worlds, rising to view in boundless perspective, 
throughout the tracts of immensity — diversified with scenes 
of magnificence, and with beings of every order — all under 
the government and the wise direction of Him who " rules 
among the armies of heaven," and who "prcserveth them 



336 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

all," and whom the "host of heaven worship" and adore. 
He can soar beyond them all to the throne of God, where 
angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, celebrate 
the praises of their Sovereign Lord, and stand ready to 
announce his will, by their rapid flight to the most distant 
provinces of his empire. He can descend from that lofty 
eminence to this terrestrial world, allotted for his tempo- 
rary abode, and survey another unbounded province of the 
empire of God, in those living worlds which he hid from 
the unassisted sight, and which the microscope alone can 
descry. He can here perceive the same Hand and In- 
telligence which direct the rolling worlds above, and mar- 
shal all the angelic tribes — organizing, arranging, and go- 
verning the countless myriads of animated existence which 
people the surface of a muddy pool. He can speed his 
course from one of these departments of Jehovah's king- 
dom to another, till astonished and overwhelmed with the 
order, the grandeur and extent of the wondrous scene, he 
is constrained to exclaim, " Great and marvellous are thy 
works, Lord God Almighty IV " Thine understanding is 
infinite !" The limits of thy dominions are " past finding 
out !» 

By taking such extensive surveys of the empire of Je- 
hovah, we are enabled to perceive the spirit and references 
of those sublime passages in the sacred writings which 
proclaim the majesty of God, and the glory of his king- 
dom. Such passages are diffusely scattered through the 
inspired volume, and have evidently an extent of reference 
far beyond what is generally conceived by the great mass 
of the Christian world. The following may suffice as a 
specimen : — 

ik Thine, O Lord ! is the greatness, and the glory, and 
the majesty ; for all in heaven and earth is thine ! Thine 
is the kingdom, O Lord ! Thou art exalted above all, 
thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is Power and 
Might. — Behold the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, 
is the Lord's ; the earth also, with all that therein is. — 
Ascribe ye greatness to our God ; for there is none like 
unto the God of Israel, who rideth upon the heavens in his 
.strength, and in his excellency on the sky. Thou, even 
thou, art Lord alone : thou hast made heaven, the heaven 



AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 337 

of heavens, with all their host ; the earth, and all things 
that are therein ; the sea, and all that is therein ; and 
thou preservest them all, and the host of heaven worship- 
ped thee. — He divideth the sea by his Power ; by his 
Spirit he hath garnished the heavens : Lo ! these are only 
parts of his ways ; hut bow little a portion is heard of him, 
and the thunder of his Power who can understand? — The 
Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens, and his 
kingdom ruleth over ail. — O Lord our God ! how excel- 
lent is thy name in all the earth ! who hast set thy glory 
above the heavens. When I consider thy heavens, the 
work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou 
hast ordained ; wbat is man, that thou art mindful of him! 
—His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom ; Honor and 
31ajesty are before him ; all the inhabitants of the earth 
are reputed as nothing in his sight, and he doth according 
to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabi- 
tants of the earth, — He measures the waters in the hollow 
of his hand ; he meteth out heaven with a span, and eom- 
prehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure.— He sit- 
tetb upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants 
thereof are as grasshoppers, — I have made the earth, and 
created man upon it ; I, even my hands, have stretched 
out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. — 
The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands: 
for the heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool. 
— With God is awful Majesty. — Great things doth He. 
which we cannot comprehend ; yea, the Lord sitteth King 
for ever. — Praise ye the Lord in the heavens ; praise him 
in the heights ; praise him all his angels ; praise ye him 
all his hosts. Praise him sun and moon ; praise him all 
ye stars of light ; praise him ye heaven of heavens. 
Praise him ye kings of the earth, and all people, princes 
and judges of the earth; both young men and maidens; 
old men and children — let them praise the name of the 
Lord ; for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above 
the earth and heaven." 

These sublime descriptions of the supremacy of God, 
and of the grandeur of his kingdom, must convince every 
reflecting mind, of the inconceivable magnificence and 
extent of that dominion " which ruleth ever all." It js 

. 29 



338 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

quite evident that we can never enter, with intelligence, 
into the full import, and the grand references of such ex- 
alted language employed by inspired writers, unless we 
take into view all the discoveries which science has made, 
both in the earth and in the heavens, respecting the va- 
riety and extent of the dominions of the Creator. If the 
i: Kingdom of the Most High" were as limited in its range 
as most Christians seem to conceive, such descriptions 
might be considered as mere hyperboles, or bombast, or 
extravagant declamation, which far exceeds the bounds of 
" truth and soberness." But we are certain, that the con- 
ceptions and the language of mortals can never go beyond 
the reality of what actually exists within the boundless 
precincts of Jehovah's empire. For " who can utter the 
mio-htv acts of the Lord V 9 or " who can show forth all 
his praise V 9 The language and descriptions to which we 
have now adverted, seem to have had a prospective refer- 
ence to later and more enlightened times, when more ex- 
tensive prospects of God's dominions would be opened up 
by the exertions of the human intellect. And were we 
to search ail trie records of literature, in ancient or modern 
times, we should find no descriptions nor language of such 
a dignified nature ar* to express the views and feelings of 
an enlightened Christian Philosopher, when he contem- 
plates the sublimity and extent of Divine operations — ex- 
cept those which are to be found in the inspired volume — 
the strength, and majesty, and comprehension of which, 
no human language can ever exceed. 

Again > by familiarizing our minds to such extended 
prospects of God's universal kingdom, we shall be qualified 
and disposed to comply with the injunctions of Scripture, 
which represent it as an imperious duty, to communicate to 
the minds of others such elevated conceptions. This duty 
is enjoined in numerous passages of Sacred Scripture, 
particularly in the book of Psalms : " Declare his glory 
among the heathen, and his wonders among all people. — 
I will extol thee, my God, O King. — One generation shall 
praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty 
acts. — I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, 
and of thy wondrous works. — And men shall speak of the 
in^ht of thv terrible acts ; and shall declare thy greatness. 



AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 339 

All thy works shall praise thee, Lord ; and thy saints 
shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy 
kingdom, and talk of thy power ; to make known to the sons 
of men thy mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of thy 
kingdom"* When we look around us in the world, and 
in the visible church, and mark the conceptions, and the 
conversation of the members of religious societies, we need 
scarcely say how little this ennobling duty is attended to 
by the mass of those who bear the Christian name. We 
hear abundance of idle chat about the fashions and the po- 
litics of the day — how Miss A. danced so gracefully at 
the ball, and how Miss B. sung so sweetly at the concert ; 
how Mr. C. acted his part so well in the character of Rob 
Roy, and how Mr. D. made such a flaming speech at the 
corporation dinner. We listen to slanderous conversaj 
tion, and hear abundance of mean, and base, and unchari- 
table insinuations against our neighbors ; which indicate 
the operation of malice, hatred, envy, and other malevo- 
lent tempers. We spend whole hours in boisterous dispu- 
tations about metaphysical subtleties in religion, and ques- 
tions " which gender strife rather than godly edifying ;" 
but " to speak of the glory of God's kingdom, and to talk 
of his Power," with the view of " making known to the 
sons of men his mighty works," is a duty which remains 
yet to be learned by a majority of those who profess the 
religion of Jesus. And how can they be supposed to be 
qualified to enter into the spirit of this duty, and to pro- 
claim to others " the glorious majesty of God's kingdom," 
unless such subjects be illustrated in minute detail, and 
proclaimed with becoming energy, both from the pulpit, 
and from the press ? These powerful engines, when con- 
ducted with judgment and discrimination, are capable of 
producing on the mass of mankind, a tone of thinking? 
and an enlargement of conception, on such subjects, which 
no other means can easily effect ; and it is to be hoped 
that more precise and luminous details, and more vigor 
and animation, will soon be displayed in this respect, than 
in the ages that are past. 

There is a certain principle of selfishness which per- 

' Psalm cxlv% and xcvi, 3, 4, 



J40 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

vades the minds of many professed religionists, which 
leads them to conclude that, if they can but secure their 
own personal salvation, they need give themselves no trou- 
ble about the glory and extent of the kingdom of the Most 
High. " What need we care 9 ' say they " about nations in 
the far-distant parts of the world, and about the planets 
and the stars ; our business is to attend to the spiritual in- 
terests of our souls." Such persons seem neither to un- 
derstand in what salvation really consists, and what is con- 
ducive to their spiritual interests, nor to appreciate those 
tempers and habits which will qualify them for the enjoy- 
ment of eternal life. It forms but a very slender evidence 
of their possessing any spark of Christianity at all, if they 
wish to rest satisfied with the most vague and grovelling 
conceptions, and if they do not ardently aspire after a 
more enlarged view of the attributes of God, of the glory 
of his empire, and of whatever may tend to expand 
their conceptions of " the inheritance of the saints in light.'- 
We have often been astonished at the opinions of some 
of those who move in a higher sphere of intelligence, 
who seem to consider it as a matter of pure indifference, 
whether or not Christians should attain to the highest 
conception in their power of the God whom they wor- 
ship, and of his boundless dominions, because they con- 
ceive that such views are not essentially connected with 
salvation! But we would ask such persons how thev 
came to know that such views are not connected with sal- 
vation? Though they may not have been essential to the 
salvation of men in the dark ages that are past, or to ob- 
scure tribes of people at present, who have no access to 
•he proper sources of information, yet since God, in the 
course of his Providence, which guides all human inven- 
tions and discoveries, has disclosed to us a far more ex- 
pansive view of the " glory of his kingdom" than former 
ages could obtain, for the purpose of illustrating the reve- 
lations of his word — who will dare to assert that the man 
who has access, by his studious efforts, to contemplate this 
wondrous scene, and to display its grandeur to others, and 
yet wilfully shuts his eyes to the Divine glory therein dis- 
played, does not thereby hazard the Divine displeasure ? 
In this point of view the following passage desers T e-: 



AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 341 

serious consideration: "Because they regard not the 
works of the Lord nor the operations of his hands, he 
shall destroy them and not build them up." We have no 
hesitation in admitting that persons may have obtained 
salvation who never saw more of the sacred writings than 
what is contained in the gospel of Mark, or in one of 
Paul's epistles ; but what would we say of the man who 
had access to all the Revelations of Heaven we now pos- 
sess, and yet confined his attention solely to a chapter or 
two in the New Testament, and would not deign to look 
into any other part of the inspired volume ? We should 
not hesitate at once to pronounce that such a person was 
grossly deficient in his duty, and devoid of that reverence 
and submission which are due to the oracles of God. And 
if it be admitted that the person, who has access to the 
Bible and who refuses to peruse its important contents, is 
guilty of a criminal neglect, we do not see how the man, 
who has free access to the other volume of God ? s revela- 
tion, and views it as a matter of mere indifference whether 
he look into it or not, can be deemed in this respect en- 
tirely innocent. If it be understood that we shall be 
judged according to the light and privileges we enjoy, and 
the use we make of them, in our improvement in the know- 
ledge of God — we would deem it a hazardous position for 
any one to support, That " inattention to the visible glories 
of the kingdom of God, and to the ! declaration of his 
wonders among the people,' is a matter either of indiffer- 
ence, or of trivial importance." 

For, let it be considered farther — that on the extent of 
our views respecting the universal kingdom of God, depends 
our conceptions of the Majesty and Glory of the Creator 
himself We become acquainted with the nature of God. 
only in so far as he has manifested himself to us by exter- 
nal operations,* and in so far as we form just conceptions 
of these operations. If we conceive his empire as inclu- 
ded within the bounds of eighty or ninety thousand miles, 
our conceptions of the Sovereign of that empire will be 
circumscribed within nearly the same limits. The mind of 



+ Here I include the manifestations of Deity, as exhibited both 
in Divine Revelation and in the System' of Nature, 

29* 



342 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

every reasonable man must, indeed, admit the abstract pro- 
position, " That the Divine Being is infinite, and conse- 
quently fills all space with his presence." But this infinity, 
in our view, is nothing more than a vague conception of 
empty space, extending a little icay beyond the sphere of his 
visible operations. The mind must have some material, 
visible, or tangible objects to rest upon, and to guide it in 
its excursions, when it would attempt to form the most de- 
finite and comprehensive conceptions of an Infinite, Eter- 
nal, and Invisible Existence. For, however much we may 
talk about purely spiritual ideas, it is quite evident from 
the nature of things, and from the very constitution of man, 
that we can have no ideas at all without the intervention of 
sensible objects. And therefore, if we would wish to form 
the most sublime conceptions of God himself, we must en- 
deavor in the first place, to take the most extensive views, 
which science and revelation exhibit, of his vast dominions. 
We must endeavor to form some adequate idea of the wide 
extent of the globe on which we dwell, its diversified scene- 
ry, and the numerous tribes of human beings, and other 
animated existences, visible and invisible, which people its 
different provinces. We must explore the vast regions of 
the planetary system, and compare the bulk of the earth, 
large as it is, with some of those more magnificent globes. 
which would contain a thousand worlds as large as ours. 
We must next wing our way, in imagination, over a spact 
which a cannon-ball, flying five hundred miles every hour, 
would not traverse in ten hundred thousand years, till wi 
arrive at the nearest fixed .-stars, and find ourselves in the 
centre of thousands of systems and worlds, arranged at im- 
measurable distances from one another. We must pass 
from one Nebula, or cluster of systems, to another ; con- 
tinuing our excursions as far as the eye or the telescope 
can direct our view ; and when the aid of artificial instru- 
ments begins to fail, our imagination must still take its 
flight far beyond the boundaries of mortal vision, and add 
system to system, and Nebula to Nebula,through the bound- 
less regions of space, till we arrive at the grand centre of the 
universe, the Throne of God, around which all worlds and 
beings revolve, where " thousands thousands" of bright in- 
telligences " minister to Him, and ten thousand times ten 



AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 343 

thousand stand before Him." We must consider all this 
magnificent assemblage of objects, not merely as so many 
masses of inert matter, or as a grand raree-show, to dazzle 
the eyes of a few hundreds of human spectators, — but as 
destined for purposes worthy ofi the plans and the intelli- 
gence of Him who is " the only wise God," — as peopled 
with numerous orders of intelligent beings, whose physical 
and moral economy is superintended and directed by Him 
who, at the same time, rules amidst the tumults of human 
revolutions, and governs the living myriads which people 
a drop of water. 

In this way then do we come to acquire the most exten- 
sive views of the amplitude and glory of the Kingdom of 
the Most High ; and it is only by the same process of 
thought that we can ever attain the most exalted concep- 
tions of the attributes of its Almighty Sovereign. For our 
views of the Sovereign of the universe must always corres- 
pond with our views of the extent and magnificence of 
those dominions which sprung from his Creating Hand, 
and over which he every moment presides. His essence 
must forever remain imperceptible to finite minds ; for He 
is " the King Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible, dwelling 
in that Light which no man can approach unto ; whom no 
man hath seen, or can see." From his nature, as a spirit- 
ual uncompounded substance, and from his immensity, as 
fdling infinite space with his presence, it appears impossi- 
ble, in the very nature of things, that the glory of his per- 
fections can be displayed in any other way than through 
the medium of the visible operations of his hands, or in the 
dispensations of his providence towards particular worlds 
or classes of intelligences. And if in the future world 
the souls of good men will enjoy a more glorious display 
than at present of the attributes of Deity, it will be owing 
chiefly, to their being placed in more favorable circumstan- 
ces than they now are, for contemplating this display ; to 
their faculties being more invigorated, and every physicaL 
and moral impediment to their exercise being completely 
removed, so as to enable them to perceive, more clearly 
than they now do, the unbounded displays he has given of 
his infinite Power, Wisdom, and Benevolence. And if we 
expect to be introduced to this state of enlarged vision, 



344 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

when we pass from the scenes of mortality, it cannot be a 
matter of mere indifference, even now, whether or not our 
minds are prepared for such exalted employments, by en- 
deavoring to form the most ample conceptions of the attri- 
butes of God which can be obtained through the medium 
of his word, and by a contemplation of the variety and 
magnificence of his works. In the prospect of that 
world where we hope to spend an interminable existence, 
it must also be interesting to ascertain whether or not the 
dominions of the universal Sovereign present such an ex- 
tent of empire, and such a variety of objects, that new 
scenes of wonder and glory may be expected to be dis- 
played in continual succession, for the contemplation and 
entertainment of holy beings, while eternal ages are rolling 
on. And on this point, the discoveries of science confirm 
and illustrate the notices of heavenly glory and felicity re- 
corded in the inspired volume, and lead us to rest with full 
assurance on the prophetic declaration, that " eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of 
man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for 
them that love hint." 

III. — By connecting the discoveries of Science with Reli- 
gion, the minds of Christians icoidd be enabled to take a 
more minute and comprehensive survey of the Opera- 
tions or Providence. 

Providence is that superintendence and care which God 
exercises over all creatures and events, in order to accom- 
plish the eternal purposes of his will. In Creation God 
brought the universe out of nothing, and arranged all its 
provinces and inhabitants in due order. By his Provi- 
dence he supports and governs all the movements of the 
material system, and the sensitive and rational beings with 
which it is peopled. It is evident, that, in proportion as 
our views of the Creator's dominions are extended, our 
views of his Providence will, to a certain extent, be propor- 
tionably enlarged. For wherever worlds and beings exist, 
there will God be found, preserving, superintending, and 
governing, the movements of all creatures and events. It 
is chiefly, however, in the world in which we reside, that 
the diversified dispensations of Providence can be distinct- 



RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 345 

\y traced. Now an acquaintance with the prominent parts 
of the different branches of knowledge to which I have al- 
ready adverted, would enable us to take a particular and 
comprehensive view, not ouly of the ways of God to man, 
but also of his arrangements in reference to all subordinate 
creatures and events. 

From the Inspired History of the Old Testament, we can 
trace the prominent lines of the dispensations of God to- 
wards man, particularly in regard to the Israelites and the 
surrounding nations — from the Creation to a period about 
400 years before the coming of Christ. But in order to 
perceive the farther progress and bearings of these lines till 
the commencement of the New Testament economy, we 
must have recourse to the most authentic records of pro- 
fane history. From the era of the birth of Christ to near 
the close of the first century, we can acquire, from the 
Evangelists., and the history of the Apostles, a particular 
account of the life of Christ, of the events which preceded 
and accompanied the finishing of the work of redemption, 
and of the progress of the Gospel through Judea, and the 
adjacent countries. But, after this period, we have no in- 
spired guide to direct us in tracing the Divine Dispensa- 
tions towards the various nations of the earth ; and there- 
fore we must have recourse to the annals, memoirs, chro- 
nicles, and other records of the history of nations, down to 
the period in which we live; otherwise we could never con- 
template the continued series of events in the Divine Eco- 
nomy towards the inhabitants of our world. Unless men 
of learning and of observation had recorded the prominent 
facts which have occurred in the history of nations, for 
1700 years past, we must have remained almost as igno- 
rant of the dispensations of God towards our race, during 
that period, as the inhabitants of the planet Saturn : and un- 
less we study the events thus recorded in the writings of 
the historian, and contemplate their varied aspects and 
bearings in the light of Divine Revelation, we must still 
remain ignorant of the grand movements and tendencies ot 
Divine Providence. This single circumstance shows, in 
the clearest light, that it is the intention of God that we 
should learn the operations of his Providence from the re- 
searches of Science and History, as well as from the re- 



J46 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

cords of Revelation ; and that the Scriptures, though they 
contain every supernatural discovery requisite to our hap- 
piness, are not of themselves sufficient to present us with 
a connected view of the prominent dispensations of hea- 
ven, from the Creation to the period in which we live. 

From the science of Geography we acquire a knowledge 
of the extent of the surface of the earth — of the various 
trihes of human inhabitants with which it is peopled — of 
the physical aspect of the different climates they inhabit — 
of their arts, manners, customs, laws, religion, vices, wars, 
and political economy : and consequently we can, in these 
and similar respects, trace some of the aspects of Divine 
Providence towards them in relation to their present and 
future condition. From the same source we learn the 
number of human beings which the Governor of the world 
has under his direction at one time, which is nearly a thou- 
sand millions, or five hundred times the number of the in- 
habitants of Scotland. From the data afforded by this sci- 
ence we may also form an estimate of the number of dis- 
embodied spirits that have passed from this world since the 
Creation, and are now under the superintendence of the Al- 
mighty in the invisible state, which cannot be much less 
than 145,000 millions ; and on similar grounds we may also 
learn the number of rational beings that are coming for- 
ward into existence, and passing into the eternal world 
every day, which is at least 63,000, and consequently 
nearly 50 during each passing minute, — every individual 
of which, the Supreme Disposer of events superintends at 
his entrance into life ; and at his departure from it, directs 
to his respective and eternal state of destination. All 
which circumstances, and many others of a similar kind, 
must be taken into account, in order to our forming a 
comprehensive conception of the numerous bearings, and 
the incessant agency of a Superintending Providence. 

From Natural History we learn the immense number 
and variety of the subordinate tribes of animated beings 
which inhabit the different regions of earth, air, and sea — 
their economy and instincts — their modes of existence, 
and the manner in which the Creator provides for their va- 
rious necessities. — From an acquaintance with the \ History 
nfthe Arts and Mechanical Inventions, we learn the gradu- 



RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE* 34? 

ai manner in which G od directs the movements of the hu- 
man mind, in making those improvements and discoveries 
which have a bearing upon the accomplishment of his 
eternal plans of mercy, and which tend to enlarge our 
views of the amplitude and the glories of his kingdom. 
From Natural Philosophy and Chemistry we learn the se- 
condary causes or subordinate laws by which the Almighty 
supports and directs the natural constitution of the world — - 
the wonderful manner in which, our lives are every mo- 
ment supported— and the agencies by which fire, air, light, 
heat, and fertility are distributed through the globe, for 
promoting the comfort and happiness " of every thing that 
lives." From Anatomy and Physiology we learn how 
u fearfully and wonderfully we are made and preserved"— 
that our health and comfort depend upon the regular ac- 
tion of a thousand organical parts and functions, over which 
we have no control—and that our very existence every 
moment is dependant on the superintendence of a Supe- 
rior Power, " in whose Hand our breath is, and whose are 
all our ways." 

By an occasional study, then, of the subjects to which 
we have now alluded, we would gradually expand our con- 
ceptions of the range and operations of Divine Providence. 
Every geographical exploration of a new region of the 
globe — every scientific improvement and discovery — every 
useful invention — every eruption of a volcano — every shock 
of an earthquake — every hurricane, and storm, and tem- 
pest — every battle of the warrior — every revolution among 
the nations — and every detail in the newspapers we daily 
read, would lead us to form some conceptions of the pro- 
vidential purposes of Him who is the Supreme Diposer of 
all events. Even the arrangements of Divine Wisdom, 
with regard to the economy of the lower animals, ought not 
to be overlooked in such a survey. When w r e consider the 
immense number and variety of animated beings — that 
there are 500 species of quadrupeds, every species con- 
taining, perhaps, many millions of individuals ; 4000 spe- 
cies of birds ; 2500 species of fishes ; 700 species of rep- 
tiles ; and 44,000 different kinds of insects, besides many- 
thousands of species altogether invisible to the unassisted 
sight—when we consider that the structure and organiza- 



348 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

tion of all these different species are diverse from each 
other, and exactly adapted to their various situations and 
modes of existence, and that their multifarious wants, irj 
regard to food and habitation, are all provided for and am- 
ply supplied hy Him, who, at the same time, arranges and 
governs the affairs of ten thousand worlds — we must be 
lost in astonishment at the greatness of that Intelligence 
which formed them, and at the exuberance of that Bounty 
which spreads so full a table for so immense an assem- 
blage of living beings ! And were we transported to other 
worlds, we should doubtless behold still more ample dis- 
plays of Divine Beneficence. 

We are here presented with a striking commentary on 
such passages of the Sacred Volume as these : " The eyes 
of ail look unto Thee, O Lord ! and thou givest them their 
meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand liberally, and 
satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The earth is full 
of thy riches , Lord ! so is the great and wide sea, wherein 
are things creeping innumerable, both great and small 
beasts. These all v/aii upon thee, and thou givest them 
their meat in due season. That which thou givest them 
they gather : Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with 
good." — i4 O Lord, thou preservest man and beast! How 
excellent is thy loving-kindness! Therefore the children 
of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings: 
They shall be abundantly satisfied with, the fatness of thy 
house,"* (of the table thou hast spread in thy world for ail 
thine offspring,) " and thou shait make them drink of the 
river of thy pleasures." One excellent practical effect 
which might flow from such contemplations would be, to 
inspire us with feelings of humanity towards the inferior 
order of animals, and to prevent us from wantonly and un- 



* This, and several other similar passages, may be considered as 
more especially applicable to the rich bounty which God has pro- 
vided for all his creatures. The practice of spiritualising such pas- 
sages, as it is termed, has a tendency to caricature Scripture, and to 
twist it from its precise and sublime references, to accord with the 
vague fancies of injudicious minds. The literal meaning of Scripture 
is always the most appropriate, emphatic, and sublime ; but it may, 
in some cases, be used by way of accommodation, in illustrating divine 
mbjects, when it is applied with judgment and discrimination 



RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 349 

necessarily torturing, or depriving them of existence. For 
since the Creator and Preserver of all has so curiously or- 
ganized their bodies, and fitted them for the different re- 
gions in which they reside, and so carefully provided for all 
their wants, it must be His will that they should enjoy hap- 
piness according to the extent of their capacities ; and 
therefore they ought to be considered as necessary parts 
of our sublunary system. — Another practical lesson we 
may derive from such surveys, is, to place an unshaken 
dependance upon God for our temporal subsistence, while 
we, at the same time, exert all our faculties in the line of 
active duty. " Blessed is the man who trusteth in him ; for 
there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions 
may suffer hunger, but they that fear the Lord shall not 
want any good thing." — He who decks the lily of the 
vale, and spreads out a plentiful table to the fowls of hea- 
ven, to the beasts of the forest, to the creeping insect, and 
even to the microscopic animalcula, will never fail to sup- 
ply the necessary wants of those who " do His will, and 
hearken to the voice of his commandments." And if at 
any time we be found destitute of daily food, and pining 
away in penury and squalid disease, we have too much rea- 
son to conclude that, in one way or another, either our de- 
viation from the path of rectitude, or our distrust of Di- 
vine Providence, or our want of prudence and economy, 
has procured for us these things. 

I have said that it is chiefly in the world in which we 
dwell, that the dispensations of Providence can be distinct- 
ly traced. But we must nevertheless admit, that the care 
and superintendence of God are as minutely exercised in 
the distant regions of the universe as in our terrestrial 
sphere ; though we are not permitted, at present, to in- 
spect the particular details of His procedure in reference 
to other orders of intelligences. We are not however 
altogether ignorant of some prominent features of the 
physical and moral economy of other worlds, in conse- 
quence of the discoveries of modern astronomical science. 

With respect to their physical economy, we behold a 
striking variety in the Divine arrangements. We perceive 
one planetary world surrounded by two splendid and mag- 
nificent rings, one of them 204,000, and the other 184,000 

30 



350 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

miles in diameter, stretching across its celestial canopy 
from one end of the heavens to another — moving with ma- 
jestic grandeur around its inhabitants every ten hours, and 
diffusing a light equal to several thousands of moons like 
ours — which may be considered as a visible and permanent 
emblem of the Majesty and Glory of their Creator. We 
perceive, connected with the same globe, seven moons, all 
larger than ours, of different magnitudes, and placed at 
different distances, and revolving in different periods of 
time around that spacious world. The diversified aspects 
of these rings, as viewed from the different regions of the 
planet at different times, and the variety of appearances 
produced by the alternate rising, setting, culmination, and 
frequent eclipses, and other aspects of the moons, must 
present to the inhabitants a very grand, and varied, and 
magnificent scene of Divine operation.* On the other 
hand, we behold another planetary globe, destitute both 
of rings and moons, but which has the starry heavens pre- 
sented to view nearly in the same aspect in which we be- 
hold them. We perceive a third globe much larger than 
them both, capable of containing 200 times the number of 
the inhabitants of our world — accompanied in its course 
with four moons to diffuse light in the absence of the sun, 
and to diversify the aspect of its sky. In some of these 
worlds, the succession of day and night is accomplished 
within the space of ten hours ; in others, this revolution is 
not completed till after the lapse of twenty-four hours, or 
of as many days. In some, the days and nights are nearly 
equal on every part of their surface, and they have little 
variety of seasons ; in others, the variety in the length of 
the days, and the vicissitudes of the seasons, are nearly the 
same as those we experience in our terrestrial globe, 
Around some, there appears a dense atmosphere, while 
others are environed with atmospheres more rare and trans- 
parent. Some move in the vicinity of the sun, and enjoy 
an abundant efflux of light and heat, while others are re- 
moved to the distance of eighteen hundred millions of miles 
from that central luminary. Some finish the revolution of 
their year in a few months ; while others require twelve. 



See the Plate, Fig. 7. 



RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 351 

thirty, or even eighty, of our years to complete their annual 
round. Some appear adorned with majestic mountain- 
scenery, and others seem to have great changes occasion- 
ally taking place in their atmospheres, or on their surfaces. 
There are four planetary bodies lately discovered, which, 
there is every reason to believe, once formed the compo- 
nent parts of a larger globe ; but by some mighty catastro- 
phe in the dispensations of heaven, it appears to have been 
burst asunder into the fragments we now behold. If the 
general proposition illustrated in Section 2, of the prece- 
ding chapter, be admitted, such a fact would seem to indi- 
cate that a moral revolution has taken place among the in- 
telligent beings who had originally been placed in those re- 
gions ; and that their fate was involved in the dreadful 
shock which burst asunder the globe they inhabited ; just 
as the fate of the Antediluvians was involved in the shock 
by which the solid crust of our globe was disrupted, at the 
period of the universal deluge. 

These are some outlines in the economy of Providence 
which we can trace with regard to the arrangements of 
other worlds ; but beyond such general aspects we are not 
permitted to penetrate, so long as we sojourn in taberna- 
cles of clay. But even such general views afford some 
scope to the contemplative mind, for forming enlarged con- 
ceptions of the grandeur and diversity of the dispensa- 
tions of God, in the worlds which roll in the distant regions 
of space. 

With regard to their moral economy — we may rest assu- 
red that the prominent outlines of it are materially the 
same as of that economy which relates to the inhabitants 
of our world. The fundamental principles of the moral laws 
given to men, and which it is the great object of Revela- 
tion to support and illustrate, are, " Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart and understanding," and, 
" Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." On these two 
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. — Now 
we must at once admit, from the nature of the Divine Be- 
ing, and from' the relations in which rational beings stand 
to Him, and to one another, — that the Creator has enacted 
these laws, as the great governing principles by which the 
actions of all intelligences in heaven, as well as uponearth 3 



352 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

are to be directed. For the Governor of the world can 
never be supposed to issue a law to any order of rational 
creatures, which would permit them to hate their Creator, 
or to hate those whom he has formed after his own image. 
Such a supposition would be inconsistent with the eternal 
rules of rectitude, and with the perfections of Deity — and 
the fact supposed, (if it could exist,) would introduce con- 
fusion and misery throughout the whole intelligent uni- 
verse. And, therefore, we must necessarily admit that the 
laws to which I now advert, are binding upon all the ration- 
al inhabitants which exist throughout Jehovah's dominions; 
and that it is by these that the moral order of all the princi- 
palities and powers of heaven is preserved and directed. 
In those worlds where there is no change in the succes- 
sion of their inhabitants—or, in other words, where there 
is no death, or where they are not produced by any process 
analogous to generation, but have a fixed and permanent 
residence, there will be no need for moral precepts cor- 
responding to the fifth and the seventh commandments of 
our moral law ; and, in those worlds where property is 
common, and the bounties of the Creator are equally en- 
joyed by all, there will be no necessity for a law corres- 
ponding to the eighth commandment ; but the general 
principles on which these laws are founded, will be appli- 
cable to all the other circumstances and relations which 
actually exist ; so that the principle and spirit and essence 
of our religion must be common to all the holy inhabitants 
of the universe. And therefore it will follow, that every 
intelligent being that is animated and directed by such prin- 
ciples and affections, will be qualified for holding delightful 
intercourse with all holy beings throughout the universe of 
God, in whatever province of the Creator's empire he may- 
hereafter be placed ; and to qualify us for such harmonious 
and affectionate intercourses, is one great end of the Sal- 
vation exhibited in the Gospel. So that although we can- 
not, in our present state, acquire a minute and compre- 
hensive knowledge of the moral history of other worlds, of 
the special interpositions or manifestations of Deity in re- 
lation to them, or of the means by which they are carried 
forward in moral and intellectual improvement— yet we can 
trace the general principles or laws which form the basis of 



EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 353 

their moral and religious economy. For, as the laws of 
optics, and the principle of gravitation, pervade the whole 
material system, as far as the universe is visible to our as- 
sisted vision, so the principle of supreme love to God, and 
sincere affection to fellow-intelligences, must pervade the 
intellectual universe, wherever it extends ; and if any intel- 
ligent agents, besides men, have violated these laws, they 
must experience pain, and misery, and disorder, analogous 
to those which are felt by the inhabitants of our apostate 
world. 

Thus I have endeavored to show that the combination 
of Science with Religion would tend to expand our views 
of Divine Providence — in the various arrangements of God, 
in relation to the human race, and to the subordinate tribes 
of sensitive beings — and in reference to some of the pro- 
minent features of his administration in distant worlds. 
And, therefore, though the Christian ought never to over- 
look the ways of Providence in relation to himself, and to 
his spiritual and domestic concerns, yet it would argue a 
selfishness and a sottishness altogether inconsistent with 
the noble and expansive spirit of Christianity, to overlook 
all the other parts of the theatre of Divine Dispensations, 
when a very slight degree of iabor and research might be 
instrumental in unfolding them to his view. 

IY. — The connection of Science with Religion would have 
a tendency to induce upon Christians a spirit of libe- 
rality, of candor, and of accuracy in judging of 

THE OPINIONS AND ACTIONS OF MEN, and of THE DIVINE 
PROCEDURE AND OPERATIONS. 

Who is the most candid and liberal being in the uni- 
verse 1 God. — And why is God to be considered as the 
most Liberal Intelligence that exists t Because He em- 
braces a minute, a full, and comprehensive view of all 
the circumstances, connections, relations, habits, motives, 
temptations, modes of thinking, educational biases, phy- 
sical affections, and other causes that may influence the 
sentiments or the conduct of any of his creatures. — Who 
among created intelligences may be viewed as endowed 
with these qualities in the next degree ? The loftiest se- 
raph that God has created, who has winged his way to 

30* 



354 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

numerous worlds, and taken the most extensive survey of 
the dispensations of the Almighty, and of all creatures 
and events — Who, among the sons of men, is the most 
illiberal and inaccurate in judging of opinions, of persons, 
and of things ? The man who has lived all his days within 
the smoke of his father's chimney, or within the confines 
of his native village — who has never looked beyond the 
range of his own religious party — whose thoughts have 
always run in one narrow tract — whose reading has been 
confined to two or three musty volumes, which have lain 
for ages on the same smoky shelf — who cares for nothing 
either in the heavens or the earth, but in so far as it minis- 
ters to his convenience, his avarice, or his sensual enjoy- 
ment — who will admit no sentiment to be true, but what 
he may have heard broached by his parson — and whose 
conversation seldom rises beyond mere gossipping chit- 
chat, and the slanderous remarks which are circulated 
among his neighbors. Such characters are entirely un- 
qualified for forming a correct judgment, either of the sen- 
timents and the actions of men, or of the works and the 
ways of God ; for they are completely destitute of the re- 
quisite data whereon to form a rational decision in rela- 
tion to either of these subjects. 

It may be admitted as a kind of axiom ; in our estimate 
of human character, that, in proportion to the ignorance 
and the narrow range of view which characterize any in- 
dividual, in a similar proportion will be his want of can- 
dor and his unfitness for passing a sound judgment on any 
subject that is laid before him,— and that the man who has 
taken excursions through the widest range of thought, ac- 
companied with a corresponding improvement of his mo- 
ral powers, will always be the most liberal and candid in 
his decisions on the moral and intellectual qualities of 
others. To these maxims few exceptions will generally 
be found.— In forming an enlightened judgment in regard 
to any action or object, it is essentially requisite, that we 
contemplate it in all its different features and aspects, and 
in all its minute circumstances, bearings and relations. 
We would not hesitate for a moment to determine who is 
best qualified to give an accurate description of a city, — he 
who has only viewed its spires from a distance, while in 



EXPANSION OP INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 356 

rapid motion in his chariot — -or he who has minutely sur- 
veyed all its streets, lanes, squares, public edifices, and 
surrounding scenery, in every variety of aspect : or, who 
appears most likely to form the most accurate and en- 
lightened judgment in relation to any particular king- 
dom — he who has just skirted along a few miles on one 
of its coasts, or he who has traversed its length and 
breadth in all directions, and mingled with every class of 
its inhabitants. On the same principle, it must be admit- 
ted that he who has viewed religion in all its aspects and 
bearings, who has taken the most extensive survey of the 
manifestations of God, and of the habits and relations of 
men, is the best qualified to pronounce a candid and accu- 
rate decision on all the intellectual and moral cases that 
may come before him. 

If the spirit of the above-stated sentiments be founded 
on reason and on fact, it will follow, that the more we re- 
semble God in the amplitude of our intellectual views and 
benevolent affections, the more candid, and liberal, and ac- 
curate will our judgments be in reference to all the ac- 
tions, objects, and relations we contemplate. — On the other 
hand, the man who is confined to a narrow range of 
thought and prospect is continually blundering in the esti- 
mates he forms, both in respect to physical facts, to gene- 
ral principles, and to moral actions. He forms a prema- 
ture and uncharitable opinion on every slander and report 
against his neighbor. He condemns, without hesitation, 
and throws an unmerited odium on whole bodies of men, 
because one or two of their number may have displayed 
weakness or folly. He hates and despises men and their 
opinions, because they belong not to his political or reli- 
gious party. He pronounces his decisions on the motives 
of men, with as much confidence as if he had surveyed 
their hearts with the eye of omniscience. He cannot hear 
an objection against his favorite opinions with patience, 
nor an apology for any set of principles but his own. He 
is arrogant and dogmatical in his assertions, and will make 
no concessions to the superior wisdom of others. He sets 
himself, with violence,against every proposal for reformation 
in the church, because his forefathers never thought of it, 



&S6 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER* 

and because such " innovations" do not suit his humor and 
preconceived opinions. He decides, in the most confi- 
dent tone, on what God can and cannot do, as if he had 
taken the gauge of Infinite Perfection ; and he frets at the 
Divine dispensations when they do not exactly quadrate 
with his own humors and selfish views. 

With regard to the operations of the Most High, he also 
forms the most foolish, and vague, and contradictory con- 
ceptions. Tell him of the vast dimensions of the planetary 
system, of the men and animals that live on the opposite 
side of the globe, of the annual and diurnal motion of the 
earth — that this world and its inhabitants are moving 
through the regions of space many thousands of miles 
every hour — that one of the planets is so large that it 
would contain 1400 worlds as spacious as ours — that an- 
other is flying through the tracts of immensity, at the rate 
of a hundred thousand miles an hour — and that light is 
darted from the sun with a velocity of 195,000 miles in a 
moment of time — he will stare at you with astonishment at 
such extravagant assertions, and will sooner believe the 
stories of giants 100 feet high, and of fairies that can enter 
in crowds through the key-hole of his door. Instead of 
frankly acknowledging that " he is ignorant of such sub- 
jects, and of the grounds of such conclusions, — that those 
who have studied them with intelligence are best capable 
of judging, — that, if true, they must fill us with admi- 
ration of the glory of God — but that, as he has hitherto 
had no opportunity of examining such matters, he must 
suspend his assent till he inquire into the reasons which 
can be given for such amazing deductions ;" — instead of 
such concessions, which are the dictates of modesty and 
of common sense — he will tell you at once, without hesi- 
tation, and without a blush at his presumptuous decisions, 
that " it is all extravagance, and folly, and idle romance, 
contrary to Scripture, and reason, and common sense ;" 
and will not hesitate to brand you as a heretic, for endea- 
voring to break loose his intellectual trammels ! — thus 
tacitly declaring, thathe is far better qualified to pronounce 
a decision on such topics, than all the philosophers and 
divines, and all the brightest geniuses who have appeared 
in the world for ages past ; though he will at the same time 



EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 357 

admit that he never gave himself the trouble to examine 
into such matters ! 

His views of the providential dispensations of God are 
equally partial and distorted. If disease, or poverty, or 
misfortune, happen to his neighbor, especially if he had 
withdrawn from the religious party to which he belongs, it 
is considered as a penal judgment for his error and aposta- 
cy. If prosperous circumstances attend his family or his 
religious party, it is viewed as a sign of divine approbation. 
He seldom views the Hand of God, except in uncommon 
occurrences ; and then he imagines that a miracle is per- 
formed, and that the wheels of nature are stopped in order 
to accomplish the event. He seldom looks beyond the 
precincts of his own church or nation, to observe the 
movements of the Divine footsteps towards other tribes of 
his fallen race. He overlooks the traces of Divine ope- 
ration which are every moment to be seen above and 
around him — and yet, in the midst of all such partial and 
contracted views, he will sometimes decide on the Wisdom 
and Rectitude of the Ways of God, with as much confi- 
dence, as if he had entered into the secret counsels of the 
Eternal, and surveyed the whole plan of his procedure. 

Such are a few prominent outlines of the character of 
thousands whose names are enrolled as members of the 
visible church — whose illiberality and self-conceit are ow- 
ing to the contracted notions they have formed of God 
and of Religion. And surely, it must appear desirable to 
every enlightened Christian that all proper means should 
be used to prevent rational immortal beings from remain- 
ing enchained in such mental thraldom. 

On the other hand, the man who takes an enlightened 
view of all the works and dispensations of God, and of 
all the circumstances and relations of subordinate beings, 
necessarily acquires a nobleness and liberality of mind, 
and an accuracy in judging of things human and divine, 
which no other person can possess. He does not hastily 
take up an evil report against his neighbor ; for he consi- 
ders how unfounded such reports often are, and how much 
they are owing to the insinuations of envy or of malice. 
And when he can no longer doubt of an evil action being 
substantiated against any one, he does not triumph over 



358 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

him in the language of execration ; for he considers all 
the circumstances, relations, feelings, and temptations 
with which he may have been surrounded ; he considers 
that he himself is a frail sinful creature, and might possi- 
bly have fallen id a similar way, had he been placed in the 
same situation. He does not trumpet forth the praises of 
a man who has performed one brilliant benevolent deed, 
as if he were a character to be admired and eulogized— 
while the general course of his life is marked with vice, 
and an utter forgetfuiness of God and Religion ; nor does 
he fix a stigma of immorality upon the person who may 
have acted foolishly or sinfully, in one or two instances, 
while the general tenor of his conduct has been marked 
by purity and rectitude : for in both cases, he considers 
that it is not an insulated action, but general habits, which 
determine the character of any individual. He esteems 
the wise, and the good, and holds friendly intercourse 
with them, to whatever political or religious party they 
belong. He can bear, with affability and candor, to have 
his opinions contradicted, and can differ from his neighbor 
in many disputed points, while at the same time he values 
and esteems him. He will not brand a man as a heretic 
or a deist, because he takes a view of some dogmas in 
theology in a different light from what he himself does ; 
for he considers the difference of habits, studies, pursuits, 
and educational prejudices which must have influenced his 
opinions ; and makes due allowance for the range of thought 
to which he may have been accustomed. He is always 
disposed to attribute the actions of others to good motives, 
when he has no proof of the contrary. He uses no threats 
nor physical force to support his opinions, or to convince 
gainsayers ; for he knows that no external coercion can 
illuminate the mind, and that the strength of arguments, 
and the force of truth, can alone produce conviction. He 
is convinced how ignorant he is, notwithstanding all his 
study, observations, and researches, and presses forward, 
as long as he lives, to higher degrees of knowledge and of 
moral improvement. 

He is an active promoter of every scheme that tends to 
enlighten and meliorate mankind, and to extend the know- 
ledge of Salvation to the ends of the earth ; for he consi- 



EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 359 

ders that it is not by miracles, but by the subordinate agen- 
cy of intelligent beings, that God will effectuate the illumi- 
nation and the moral renovation of our apostate race. He 
views the special agency of God in all the movements of 
the scientific, the religious, and the political world, and 
perceives Him accomplishing his purpose) in the inventions 
of human genius, and in the economy of the minutest in- 
sect, as well as in the earthquake, the storm, and the con- 
vulsions of nations ; for he considers the smallest atom, 
and the hosts of Heaven, as equally directed by Eternal 
Wisdom, and equally necessary in the universal chain of 
creatures and events. He displays a becoming modesty in 
speaking of the ways and the works of God. When he 
meets with any dark and afflictive dispensation in the 
course of Providence, he does not fret and repine, but is 
calm and resigned, conscious that he perceives only a 
small portion of the chain of God's dispensations, and is 
therefore unable to form a just comparison of the connec- 
tion of any one part with the whole. When he contemplates 
the depraved and wretched condition of the greater part of 
the world, at present, and for thousands of years past, not- 
withstanding the salvation which has been achieved for sin- 
ners of mankind, he is far from arraigning the Divine good- 
ness and rectitude, in leaving so many nations " to walk in 
their own ways ;" for he knows not what relation this dis- 
mal scene may bear, what influence it may have, or what 
important impressions it may produce on worlds and beings 
with which we are at present unacquainted. 

He is cautious in pronouncing decisively respecting the 
dispensations of God, in regard to the universe at large. 
He does not, for example, assert with the utmost confi- 
dence, as some have done, " that there never was and 
never will be, to all the ages of eternity, such a bright dis- 
play of the Divine Glory as in the Cross of Christ." He 
admires and adores the condescension and the love of 
God, in the plan of Salvation which the Gospel exhibits, 
and feels an interest in it far beyond that of any other 
special manifestation of Deity ; but he dares not set limits 
to the Divine attributes and operations. He considers 
himself at present, with regard to the grand system of the 
universe, in a situation similar to that of a small insect en 



360 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 

one of the stones of a magnificent edifice, which sees only 
a few hair-breadths around it, and is altogether incapable 
of surveying the symmetry, the order, and beauty of the 
structure, and of forming an adequate conception of the 
whole. He considers that he has never yet surveyed the 
millionth part of Jehovah's empire, and therefore cannot 
tell what the Eternal Sovereign has been pleased to exhi- 
bit in its numerous provinces ; and, least of all, can he 
ever presume to dive into the depths of interminable ages, 
and boldly declare what the Almighty will, or will not, do, 
through eternity to come. He therefore views it as pre- 
sumption, while he has no dictate of Revelation for his war- 
rant, to pronounce decisively, either on the one side or the 
other, of such a deep and important question, which seems 
above the reach of the loftiest Seraph to determine.* In 
short, he endeavors to take a view of all the manifestations 
of Deity within his reach, from every source of information 
which lies before him, and as far as his limited faculties 
will permit. He does not call in question the discoveries 
of science, because they bring to his ears most astonish- 
ing reports of the wisdom and omnipotence of Jehovah, 
and of the boundless extent of His kingdom ; but rejoices 
to learn, that the grandeur of his dominions is actually 
found to correspond with the lofty descriptions of divine 
majesty and glory recorded in the Volume of Inspiration, 
and is thereby inspired with nobler hopes of the glory and 
felicity of that heavenly world where he expects to spend 
an endless existence. 

If, then, such be some of the features in the character of 
the enlightened Christian ; if liberality and candor, and ac- 
curate investigation, mark the judgments he pronounces on 
the sentiments and the actions of men, and on the works 
and the ways of God ; and if such views and feelings ought to 
be considered as more congenial to the noble and benevo- 
lent spirit of our religion, than the narrow and distorted 
notions of a contracted mind, it must be an object much to 
be desired, that the mass of the Christian world be led into 
such trains of thought, as might imbue their minds with a 
larger proportion of this spirit. And, if diversified and oc- 



* See Appendix, No. X. 



PIETY AND HUMILITY. 361 

casional discussions on the topics to which we have ad- 
verted would have a tendency to produce this desirable 
effect, it is obvious that such branches of knowledge as 
are calculated to enlarge the capacity of the mind, and to 
throw a light over the revelations and the works of God, 
should no longer be overlooked in the range of our reli- 
gious contemplations. 

V. — The extensive range of thought which the diversified 
objects in Nature present, would have a tendency to 

INSPIRE US WITH A SPIRIT OF PIETY, AND OF PROFOUND 
HUMILITY. 

It is owing, in many instances, to want of attention to 
the impressive displays of Wisdom and Omnipotence in 
the material world, that our pious feelings and devotional 
exercises are so cold and languid. We stalk about on the 
surface of the earth, and pass from one day to another, 
without reflecting on the grand and complicated machine- 
ry around us, which is carrying us along through the re- 
gions of space, and from one portion of duration to ano- 
ther, as if the mighty energies of the Eternal Mind, exerted 
in our behalf, were unworthy of our acknowledgement or 
regard. How few, for example, reflect, when they open 
their eyes in the morning, and perceive the first beams of 
the rising sun, that, since they lay down to sleep, the Di- 
vine Power has been exerted in carrying them more than 
four thousand miles round to the eastward, in order that 
they might again be cheered with the morning light : 
and that, during the same period, they, along with the 
earth and its vast population, have been carried forward 
476,000 miles from that portion of space which they occu- 
pied seven hours before ! Or, if they have no idea of the 
motion of the earth, and attach no belief to such an opi- 
nion, how is it they do not reflect that, after night has 
thrown its shades around them, the sun, and ten thousand 
other vast globes must move several hundred millions of 
miles, before their eyes can again behold the light of day 1 
Either the one or the other of these cases must be the fact ; 
and in either case, there is presented to our view a dis- 
play of the omnipotence, and the superintendence of Him 
in whom we live and move, which demands our gratitude, 

31 



362 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, 

our admiration and praise. And can it ever be supposed 
that such reflections, combined with all the other excite- 
ments to reverence and gratitude, will not tend to elevate 
our contemplations, and to raise our pious feelings tt a 
higher pitch of devotion ? Whether the Psalmist entertain- 
ed any views of this kind when he composed the ninety- 
second Psalm, we cannot certainly determine ; but I pre- 
sume the pious and contemplative mind, when aw r aking 
from the slumbers of the night under such impressions, 
might sing the first part of that song of praise with peculiar 
emphasis and delight — u It is a good thing to give thanks 
to Jehovah, and to sing praise to thy name, O thou Most 
High ! to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning; 
For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work" (or 
thy powerful energy) ; " I will triumph in the works of thy 
hands. O Lord ! how great are thy works ! and thy 
thoughts" (or contrivances) " are very deep ! A brutish 
man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this." 

An extensive acquaintance with nature and science, 
combined with Christian principle, would also induce pro- 
found humility. The man who has made excursions 
through the most diversified regions of thought, is deeply 
sensible of the little progress he has attained, and of the 
vast and unbounded field of divine science which still re- 
mains to be explored. When he considers the immense 
variety of sublime subjects which the Volume of Inspiration 
exhibits, and of w T hich he has obtained but a very faint and 
imperfect glimpse — the comprehensive extent, and the in- 
tricate windings of the operations of Providence, and the 
infinite number of beings over which it extends — the am- 
plitude and magnificence of that glorious universe over 
which Jehovah presides, and how small a portion of it lies 
open to his minute inspection — he is humbled in the dust 
at the view of his own insignificance ; he sees himself to 
be a very babe in knowledge ; and as it w 7 ere, just emer- 
ging from the gloom of ignorance into the first dawnings of 
light and intelligence. He feels the full force and spirit 
of the poet's sentiment — 

" Much learning shows how little mortals know/' 

When he considers the comprehensive extent of the Di- 



PIETY AND HUMILITY. 363 

vine law, and its numerous bearings on every part of his 
conduct, and on all the diversified relations in which he 
stands to his God, and to his fellow men ; and when he 
reflects on his multiplied deviations from that eternal rule 
of rectitude, he is ashamed and confounded in the presence 
of the Holy One of Israel ; and on a review of his former 
pride and self-conceit, is constrained to adopt the language 
of Agur and of Asaph--" Surely I am more brutish than 
any man, and have not the understanding of a man." " So 
foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee.'' 
He views the meanest and the most ignorant of his spe- 
cies, as but a very few degrees below him in the scale of 
intelligence, and sees no reason why he should glory over 
his fellows. 

This sentiment might be illustrated from the example of 
some of the most eminent men in whose minds science and 
religion were combined. The Honorable Mr. Boyle was 
the most unwearied and successful explorer of the works 
of God, in the age in which he lived, and all his philoso- 
phical pursuits were consecrated to the service of Religion. 
Among other excellent traits in his character, humility was 
the most conspicuous. " He had about him," says Bishop 
Burnet, " all that unaffected neglect of pomp in clothes, 
lodging, furniture, and equipage, which agreed with his 
grave and serious course of life," and was courteous and 
condescending to the meanest of his fellow men. " He 
had," says the same author, -" the profoundest veneration 
for the Great God of heaven and earth, that ever I obser- 
ved in any person. The very name of God was never men- 
tioned by him without a pause, and a visible stop in his dis- 
course;" and the tenor of his philosophical and theological 
writings is in complete unison with these traits of charac- 
ter. Sir Isaac Newton, too, whose genius seemed to know 
no limits but those of the visible universe, was distinguish- 
ed by his modesty, humility and meekness of temper. He 
had such an humble opinion of himself, that he had no relish 
for the applause which was so deservedly paid him. He 
would have let others run away with the glory of his in- 
ventions, if his friends and countrymen had not been more 
jealous of his honor than he was himself. He said, a little 
before his death, " I do not know what I may appear to 



364 the christian philosopher. 

the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a 
boy playing on the sea shore, and diverting myself in now 
and then finding a prettier pebble or shell than ordinary, 
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before 
me." 

The same sentiment might have been illustrated from 
the lives of Bacon, Locke, Dr. Boerhaave, Hervey, Nieu- 
wentyt, Ray, Derham,the Abbe Pluche, Bonnet, and other 
eminent characters, who devoted their stores of knowledge 
to the illustration of the Christian system. For, an exten- 
sive knowledge of the operations of God has a natural ten* 
dency to produce humility and veneration ; and wherever 
it is combined with pride and arrogance, either among phi- 
losophers or divines, it indicates a lamentable deficiency, 
if not a complete destruction of Christian principle, and of 
all those tempers which form the bond of union among ho- 
ly intelligences. After the attention of Job had been di- 
rected to the works of God, and when he had contemplated 
the inexplicable phenomena of the Divine agency in the 
material world, he was ashamed and confounded at his for- 
mer presumption ; and in deep humility, exclaimed, "I 
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; but now 
mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent 
in dust and ashes. " — In accordance with what has been 
now stated, we find, that the most exalted intelligences, 
who of course possess the most extensive views of the 
works and providential arrangements of God, are repre- 
sented as also the most humble in their deportment, and 
as displaying the most profound reverence in their inces- 
sant adorations. They "fall down before Him who sits 
upon the throne ; and cast their crowns before the throne, 
saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and 
honor, and power ; for thou hast created all things, and for 
thy pleasure they are and were created." Their moral con- 
duct evinces the same lowly temper of mind. They wait 
around the throne, in the attitude of motion, with wings 
outspread, ready to fly, on the first signal of their Sove- 
reign's will ; they " do his commandments, hearkening to 
the voice of his word," and do not disdain to perform 
important services, in our wretched world, to the meanest 
human being who is numbered among " the heirs of salviv- 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. 365 

tion." In like manner, were ive endued with the grasp of 
intellect, the capacious minds, the extensive knowledge, 
and the moral powers which they possess, we should also 
display the same humble and reverential spirit, and feel 
ashamed of those emotions of vanity and pride, which dis- 
pose so many of the human family to look down with con- 
tempt on their fellow mortals. 

If the leading train of sentiment which pervades this vo- 
lume be admitted, the following general conclusions 
may be deduced :— That, in conducting the religious in- 
struction of the young, the works of God in the material 
world, and the most striking discoveries which have been 
made as to their magnitude, variety, and mechanism, 
should be frequently exhibited to their view, in minute de- 
tail; as illustrations of the attributes of the Deity, and of 
those descriptions of his nature and operations contained 
in the Volume of Inspiration; — that the books put into 
their hands should contain, among other subjects, popular 
and striking descriptions of the facts and appearances of 
nature ; — -that seminaries should be established for the oc- 
casional instruction of young persons, from the age of 15 
to the age of 20 or 30, or upwards, in all those popular 
branches of natural and moral science which have a ten- 
dency to enlarge the capacity of their minds, and to expand 
their conceptions of the incessant agency of God ; — and 
that the ministers of Religion in their public instructions, 
should frequently blend their discussions of divine topics 
with illustrations derived from the scenes of creation and 
providence. 



31* 



APPENDIX : 



CONTAINING 

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS 



No. I. p. 68.— -Illustration of the rate of Motion in i/u 
Heavenly Bodies, on the supposition that the Earih is at 
rest. 

The distance of the sun is about 95 millions of miles ; 
consequently, the diameter of the circle he would de^ 
scribe around the earth would be 190 millions, and its 
circumference 597,142,857, which forms the extent of the 
circuit through which he would move in 24 hours, if the 
earth were at rest. This number, divided by 24, gives 
24,880,952, the number of miles he would move in an 
hour ; and this last number, divided by 60, gives 414,682, 
the number of miles he would move in a minute. The 
nearest star is reckoned to be at least 20,000,000,000,000 ? 
or twenty billions of miles distant from the earth ; conse- 
quently, its daily circuit round our globe would measure 
more than 125,000,000,000,000 miles. This sum divided 
by 86,400, the number of seconds in a day, would give 
1,454,861,111, or somewhat more than one thousand 
four hundred millions of miles, for its rate of motion 
in a second of time — a motion which, were it actually 
existing, would, in all probability, shatter the universe to 
atoms. 

The unlearned reader may, perhaps, acquire a more 
distinct idea of this explanation from the following figure : 



368 



APPENDIX, 




Let the small circle A, in the centre, represent the 
Earth, and the circle B C D E the orbit of the Sun, on 
the supposition that he moves round the Earth every 24 
hours. The line A B will represent the distance of the 
Sun from the Earth, or 95 millions of miles ; the line 
B D the diameter of the orbit he would describe ; and the 
circle B C D E the circumference along which he would 
move every day, or 597 millions of miles, which is some- 
what more than three times the diameter. If the line 
A F represent the distance of the nearest star, the circle 
F6H I will represent the circuit through which it would 
move every 24 hours, if the earth were at rest. It is ob« 



APPENDIX. 869 

vious, from the figure, that since the stars are at a greater 
distance from the earth than the sun, the circle they would 
describe around the earth would be larger in proportion, 
and, consequently, their velocities would be proportionably 
more rapid ; since they would move through their larger 
circles in the same time in which the sun moved through 
his narrower sphere. But, the supposition that the earth 
is the centre of all the celestial motions, and that the dif- 
ferent stars are daily moving around it with different velo- 
cities, and the slowest of these motions so inconceivably 
rapid — is so wild and extravagant, that it appears altogether 
inconsistent with the harmony of the universe — with the 
Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deity, and with all the 
other arrangements he has made in the system of nature. 

No. II. p. 107. — Experimental Illustrations of the Pres- 
sure of the Atmosphere. 

The pressure of the atmosphere is most strikingly il- 
lustrated by means of the air-pump. But as few persons^ 
comparatively, possess this instrument, the following expe- 
riments, which any person may perform at pleasure, are 
sufficiently convincing on this point. Take a common 
wine glass, and fill it with water ; apply a piece of paper 
over the mouth of the glass ; press the paper to the rim 
of the glass with the palm of the hand ; turn the glass up- 
side down ; withdraw the hand from the paper, and the 
water will be supported by the pressure of the atmosphere. 
That it is the atmospherical pressure, and not the paper, 
which supports the water, is evident : for the paper, instead 
of being pressed down by the weight of the water, is 
pressed upward by the pressure of the atmosphere, and 
appears concave, or hollow in the middle. If the flame 
of a candle be applied to the paper, it may be held, for an 
indefinite length of time, close to the paper, without set- 
ting fire to it. The same fact is proved by the following 
experiment : — Take a glass tube of any length, and of u 
narrow bore ; put one end of it in a basin of water ; 
apply the mouth to the other end, and draw .out the air b> 
suction ; the water will immediately rise towards the top 
of the tube : and if the finger or thumb be applied to tho 



;j70 APPENDIX, 

top of the tube, to prevent the admission of air, and tl^ 
tube removed from the basin, the water in the tube 
will be supported by the pressure of the atmosphere 
on the lower end. Again : — Take a wine glass, and burn 
a small bit of paper in it ; and while the paper is burning, 
press the palm of the hand upon the mouth of the glass, 
and it will adhere to the hand with considerable force. In 
this case, the pressure of the atmosphere will be sensibly 
felt ; for it will sometimes require a considerable force to 
detach the glass from the hand.. 

The pressure of the atmosphere explains a variety of 
common phenomena. When we take a draught of water 
out of a basin or a running stream, we immerse our 
mouths in the water, and make a vacuum by drawing in 
the air ; the pressure of the atmosphere upon the external 
surface of the water then forces it into the mouth. The 
same cause explains the process of a child sucking its 
mother's breasts — the action of a bov's sucker, in lifting 
large stones — the rise of water in pumps — the effects pro- 
duced by cements — the firm adhesion of snails and peri- 
winkles to rocks and stones — the scarcity of water in the 
time of hard frosts — and the fact that liquor will not run 
from a cask by the cock, unless a hole be opened in some* 
other part of the cask. 



No. III. p. 285. — On the means by which it may probably 
be ascertained whether the Moon be a habitable world. 

About six years ago, the Author published, in the 
Monthly Magazine, a few observations on the surface of 
the Moon, in which a few remarks were offered on this 
subject. The following is an extract from that commu- 
nication : — 

" If we be ever to obtain an ocular demonstration of the 
habitability of any of the celestial orbs, the Moon is the 
only one where we can expect to trace, by our telescopes, 
indications of the agency of sentient or intelligent beings : 
and I am pretty much convinced, that a long continued 
series of observations on this planet, by a number of indi- 
viduals in different places, might completely set at rest the 
question. < Whether the Moon be a habitable world ?' Wei - 



APPENDIX. 371 

I vast number of persons, in different parts of the world, 
to devote themselves to a particular survey of the Moon — ■ 
were different portions of her surface allotted to different 
individuals, as the object of their particular research — 
were every mountain, hill, cavern, cliff, and plain, accu- 
rately inspected — and every change and modification in 
the appearance of particular spots carefully marked and 
represented in a series of delineations, it might lead to 
some certain conclusions, both as to her physical constitu- 
tion, and her ultimate destination. It can be demonstrated, 
that a telescope which magnifies 100 times, will show a 
spot on the Moon's surface, whose diameter is 1223 yards ; 
and one which magnifies a thousand times, will, of course, 
enable us to perceive a portion of her surface, whose size 
is only 122 yards : and, consequently, an object, whether 
natural or artificial, of no greater extent than one of our 
large edifices, (for example, St. Paul's Church, London,) 
may, by such an instrument, be easily distinguished. Now, 
if every minute point on the Lunar surface were accurately 
marked by numerous observers, it might be ascertained 
whether any changes are taking place, either from phy- 
sical causes, or from the operations of intelligent agents. 
If a large forest were cutting down — if a city were build- 
ing in an open plain, or extending its former boundaries — 
if a barren waste w r ere changing into a scene of vegeta- 
tion — or, if an immense concourse of animated beings were 
occasionally assembled on a particular spot, or shifting 
from one place to another — such changes would be indi- 
cated by certain modifications of shade, color, or motion : 
and, consequently, would furnish a direct proof of the 
agency of intelligent beings analogous to man, and of the 
Moon being a habitable globe. For, although w r e may 
never be able to distinguish the inhabitants of the Moon. 
(if any exist,) yet if we can trace those effects which can 
flow only from the operations of intelligent agents, it would 
form a complete demonstration of their existence, on the 
same ground on which a navigator concludes an unknown 
island to be inhabited, when he perceives human habita- 
tions, and cultivated fields. 

" That changes occasionally happen on the lunar hemi- 
sphere, next the earth, appears from the observations of 



372 YPPENBIX. 

Herschcl and Schroeter, particularly from those of the 
latter. In the transactions of the ' Society of Natural 
Philosophy,' at Berlin, Schroeter relates, that on the 30th 
December, 1791, at 5 o'clock, p. m. with a 7 feet re- 
flector, magnifying 161 times, he perceived the com- 
mencement of a small crater on the south-west declivity 
of the volcanic mountain in the Mare Crisium, having a 
shadow of at least 2" .5. On the 11th January, at 20 mi- 
nutes past five, on looking at this place again, he could 
see neither the new crater nor its shadow. Again, on the 
4th January, 1792, he perceived, in the eastern crater of 
Helicon, a central mountain, of a clear gray color, 3" in 
diameter, of which, during many years' observations, he 
had perceived no trace. ' This appearance,' he adds, i is 
remarkable, as probably from the time of Hevelius, the 
western part of Helicon has been forming into its present 
shape, and Nature seems, in that district, to be particularly 
active.' In making such minute observations as those to 
which I allude, it would be proper, along with an inspec- 
tion of the moon's luminous disk, to mark the appearances 
of different portions of her dark hemisphere, when it is 
partially enlightened by the reflected light from the earth, 
soon after the appearance of new moon. These research- 
es would require a long -continued series of the most mi- 
nute observations, by numerous observers in different re- 
gions of the globe, which could be effected only by exci- 
ting, among the bulk of mankind, a general attention to 
such investigations. But were this object accomplished, 
and were numerous observations made from the tops of 
mountains, and in the serene sky of southern climes, 
where the powers of the telescope are not Counteracted 
by dense vapors, there can be little doubt that direct 
proofs would be obtained that the Moon is a habitable 
world ; or, at least, that the question in relation to this 
point would be completely set at rest." 



No. IV. — Remarks on the late pretended discovery of a Lu- 
nar Fortification. 

The British Public was lately amused by the announce- 
ment of a discovery said to have been made bv Professor 



APPENDIX. 373 

Frauenhofer, of Munich. This gentleman was said to 
have discovered a fortification in the Moon, and to have 
distinguished several lines of road, supposed to be the 
work of the lunar inhabitants. It is scarcely necessary to 
say, that such announcements are obviously premature. 
To perceive distinctly the shape of an object in the Moon, 
which resembles a fortification, it is requisite that that ob- 
ject be of a much larger size than our terrestrial ramparts. 
Besides, although an object resembling one of our fortifi- 
cations were perceived on the surface of the Moon, there 
would be no reason to conclude, that it served the same 
purpose as fortifications do among us. We are so much 
accustomed to war in our terrestrial system, and reflect so 
little on its diabolical nature, that we are apt to imagine 
that it must form a necessary employment even in other 
worlds. To be assured that a fortification existed in the 
Moon for the same purpose as with us, would indeed be 
dismal tidings from another world ; for it would be a ne- 
cessary conclusion, from such intelligence, that the inha- 
bitants of that globe are actuated by the same principles 
of depravity, ambition, and revenge, which have infected 
the moral atmosphere of our sublunary world. With re- 
gard to the pretended discovery of the Lunar roads, it may 
not be improper to remark, that such roads must be 
at least 400 feet broad, or ten times the breadth of ours, 
in order to be perceived as faint lines through a telescope 
which magnifies a thousand times ; which is a higher 
power, I presume, than Frauenhofer can apply with dis- 
tinctness to any of his telescopes. It is not at all likely 
that the lunar inhabitants are of such a gigantic size, or 
employ carriages of such an enormous bulk, as to require 
roads of such dimensions, since the whole surface of the 
Moon is only the thirteenth part of the area of our globe. 
Schroeter conjectures the existence of a great city to 
the north of Marius, (a spot in the Moon,) and of an ex- 
tensive canal towards Hygena, (another spot,) and he re- 
presents part of the spot named Mare Imbrium, to be as 
fertile as the Campania. See Edin. Phil. Jour. No. 21, 
for July, 1824. Similar remarks to those now stated will 
apply to these conjectures of Schroeter. We are too apt 
to imagine, that the objects we perceive in the Moon must 

32 



374 APPENDIX. 

bear a certain resemblance to those with which we are 
acquainted on the Earth ; whereas, there is every reason 
to believe, from the variety we perceive in nature, that no 
one world resembles another, except in some of its more 
prominent and general arrangements. The Moon bears 
a general resemblance to the Earth, in its being diversi- 
fied with mountains and valleys ; but the positions and ar- 
rangement of these objects in the Moon, and the scenery 
they exhibit, are materially different from what appears 
on the surface of the terraqueous globe. 



No. V. — On the ideas of Magnitude, Motion, and Dura- 
tion, as expressed by numbers* See pp. 103, 109. 
110, $c. 

In the pages referred to, and other parts of this volume, 
some very large numbers are expressed in figures. Some 
readers have insinuated, that it would have been better to 
have expressed such numbers in words. The Author, 
however, is of a different opinion ; because, to some read- 
ers, not much acquainted with Numeration, a thousand 
trillions would convey nearly the same idea as a thousand 
nonillions, though the one number contains 58 places of 
figures, and the other only 22. It is chiefly the number of 
figures, or cyphers, in such large sums, that leads us to 
form a comparative estimate of their value or extent. 
Our ideas of magnitude and extension, conveyed by such 
numbers, must, of course, be very vague and undefined. 
If we have been accustomed to travelling, we have a to- 
lerably clear conception of a hundred, and even a thou* 
sand miles ; but we have no clear nor adequate concep- 
tion of a body, or a portion of space, ten hundred thou- 
sand, ten hundred millions, or ten hundred billions of miles 
in extent. The mind, however, may be assisted in its con- 
ceptions, and in its comparative estimate of different num- 
bers, by fixing on some particular number as a standard. 
If, according to the common reckoning, we suppose, that 
5828 years have elapsed since the commencement of time, 
the number of seconds, or moments, in this period will 
amount to 183,913,782,212, or one hundred and eighty- 
three thousand nine hundred and thirteen millions, seven 



APPENDIX. 875 

liundred and eighty-two thousand, two hundred and twelve, 
which is less than the fifth part of a billion. If the dis- 
tance of the nearest stars from the earth be at least 20 
billions of miles, then this distance may be otherwise ex. 
pressed, by saying, that the number of miles which inter- 
vene between us and these bodies is more than a hundred 
times greater than the number of moments which have 
elapsed since the creation ; and, by a similar comparison^ 
it will be found, that the number of cubical miles within 
the limits of the planetary system, is 130,000,000,000,- 
000,000, or, one hundred and thirty thousand billions of 
times greater than the number of moments in 5828 years. 

It has been computed that the earth, supposing it a so* 
lid globe, contains about 30,000,000,000,000,000,000,- 
000,000,000,000, or thirty septillions of grains of sand, 
supposing a hundred grains of sand to be equal in length 
to an inch, and, consequently, a million of such grains for 
every cubical inch. If we use this number as a standard 
for estimating the number of cubical miles contained with, 
in the space which intervenes between us and the nearest 
stars, we shall find that the number of cubical miles com- 
prehended within this space is more than ten thousand 
millions of times greater than the number of the grains of 
sand contained in the globe on which we dwell. 

Though the human mind can form no definite concep- 
tions of such numbers and magnitudes, yet it may be use- 
ful, occasionally, to ruminate on such subjects ; as it is the 
only, or at least, the principal mode by which limited minds 
like ours can approximate to an idea of the infinity of the 
Creator. And if an image of infinity is presented to the 
mind in the spaces comprehended within the limits of our 
system, how overpowering the conception of innumerable 
systems, to which ours bears no more proportion than a 
drop of water to the mighty ocean ? How ineffably glo- 
rious must be the attributes of that Incomprehensible Being 
who pervades every part of this vast universe, and who conti- 
nually superintends all its minute and diversified move- 
ments ! 

No. VI. p. 221.— On a Plurality of Worlds. 

The doctrine of a plurality of worlds is now admitted 
as highly probable both by philosophers and by enlighten- 



376 APPENDIX. 

ed divines. But it has been admitted by many persons, on 
grounds that are too general and vague, and, consequent- 
ly, a full conviction of its truth is seldom produced in the 
mind. In different parts of the preceding volume, I have 
all along taken it for granted, because I consider it as sus- 
ceptible of a moral demonstration, — The following heads 
of argument, were they fully illustrated, would go far to 
carry demonstration to the mind on this subject : namely, 
That there are numerous bodies in the universe of a bulk 
sufficient to contain myriads of intelligent beings, and to 
afford them enjoyment — that there appears, in the consti- 
tution of many of these bodies, a variety of arrangements 
evidently adapted to this end — that, in relation to the pla- 
nets of our system, there are many circumstances which 
bear a striking resemblance to the constitution of our 
globe and its appendages : They have annual and diurnal 
motions, moons, atmospheres, mountains, and vales — that 
light, and heat, and color, appear to be distributed through- 
out the regions of immensity ; and that these agents can 
have a relation only to the necessities and the happiness of 
organized intelligences — that every part of nature, so far 
as our observations on the surface of this globe extend, 
appears to exist solely for the sake of sentient beings — that 
this doctrine is more worthy of the Infinite Creator, and 
gives us a more glorious and magnificent idea of his nature, 
than to suppose his benevolent regards confined to the 
globe on which we dwell. When these and a variety of 
other arguments are considered, in connection with the 
Wisdom and other attributes of the Deity, they amount not 
only to a high degree of probability, but to something ap- 
proaching to a moral demonstration. But to illustrate 
these arguments in minute detail, so as to make a con- 
vincing impression on the mind, would require a volume 
of a considerable size. The author flatters himself he has 
some original thoughts on this subject, which may proba- 
bly see the light, should the present work meet with public 
acceptance. There is no work in our language winch 
takes an extensive view of this subject, in connection with 
the attributes of Deity, and the intimations contained in 
Divine Revelation. Fontenelle's " Plurality of Worlds," 
contains a number of ingenious reasonings ; but he treats 



APPENDIX, 37*? 

the subject in too light and flippant a manner, and without 
the least reference to a Supreme Intelligence. The cele- 
brated Huygens in his " Cosmotheoros" instead of attempt- 
ing to prove the doctrine of a plurality of worlds, takes it 
for granted, and indulges chiefly in conjectures respecting 
the organical structure, and faculties of their inhabitants. 
That the Scriptures are silent on this head, has been 
assumed by some as a presumptive argument that this doc. 
trine is without a solid foundation. I have already endea- 
vored to show that this assumption is unfounded, (see page 
219.) A plurality of w T orlds is more than once asserted in 
Scripture, and in numerous passages, is evidently taken for 
granted. Celestial intelligences are represented as ascri- 
bing " glory, honor, wisdom, and power" to the King of 
Heaven, " because he hath created all things," and because 
they perceive his works to be " great and marvellous." 
But if all the great globes in the firmament were only so 
many frightful deserts, destitute of inhabitants, such a uni- 
verse could never inspire superior intelligences with admi- 
ration of the ivisdom of the Creator. For wisdom consists 
in proportioning means to ends; but in the case supposed, 
there would be no proportion between the means and the 
end. The means are indeed great and astonishing ; but 
no end appears to justify such a display of creating energy. 
— The Psalmist, when he contemplated the heavens, was 
so affected with the idea of the immense population of the 
universe, that he seems to have been almost afraid lest he 
should be overlooked amidst the immensity of beings that 
are under the superintendence of God. " When I con- 
sider thy heavens — what is man that thou art mindful of 
him !" There would be no propriety nor emphasis in this 
exclamation, if the heavenly orbs were devoid of inhabi- 
tants ; for, if no intelligent beings exist besides man, and 
a colony of angels, it would not appear wonderful that the 
Creator should exercise a particular care over the one half 
of his intelligent offspring. But if we conceive the uni- 
verse as composed of ten thousand times ten thousand 
worlds, peopled with myriads of intellectual beings of va- 
rious orders, the sentiment of admiration implied in the 
passage is extremely natural and emphatic, and conveys 
to us an impressive idea of the Intelligence, the Benefit 

32* 



378 APPENDIX. 

cence and the Condescension of the Founder and Gov 
ernor of all worlds. 



No. VII. p. 281.-- -On the first Inventor of Printing* 

Mr. Ireland, in his " Picturesque Tour through Hol- 
land, Brabant, and part of France, in 1789," gives the 
following account of the inventor of Printing, when de- 
scribing the city of Haerlem. 

" Haerlem claims the invention of the art of Printing, 
It is attributed to Lawrence Koster, an Alderman of this 
city, in 1440 ; whose house is yet standing in the market- 
place, opposite the church. Amusing himself one day in 
the neighboring wood, with cutting the bark of trees into 
the letters that formed the initials of his name, he is said 
to have laid them on paper, and, falling asleep, when he 
awoke, observed, that from the dew, their form was im- 
pressed on the paper. This accident induced him to make 
farther experiments : he next cut his letters in wood, and, 
dipping them in a glutinous liquid, impressed them on 
paper, which he found an improvement ; and soon after, 
substituting leaden and pewter letters, erected a press in 
his house ; thus laying the foundation of this noble art, 
which has thence gradually risen to its present excellence* 
— The art, it is said, was stolen from him by his servant, 
John Faustus, who conveyed it to Mentz, and, from the 
novelty of the discovery, soon acquired the title of Doctor 
and Conjurer. The original specimens are now shown at 
the library in the Town Hall. The first is on a leaf of 
parchment, and the second and third on paper, printed 
only on one side, and the corners left blank for capitals. 
At the top are wooden cuts, representing the creation, 
and, as it is called, Lucifer's Fall." — pp. 109 — 111. 



No. VIII. p. 290.— On Telescopes ; with a brief notice of 
a New Reflecting Telescope, constructed by the 
Author. 

It is doubtful to what particular individual we owe 
the invention of the telescope. Some have supposed that 
Roger Bacon and Baptista Porta, invented this instrument* 



APPENDIX* 379 

Borelli ascribes the invention to Zacharias Jansen, a native 
of Middleburg. Perhaps the account given in the article 
to which this note refers, and which is stated by a variety 
of authors, may be as probable as any other. It is certain 
that the telescope was not in general use until the begin- 
ning of the 17th century, and that no discoveries in the 
heavens were made with it, till the year 1609. 

There are two kinds of telescopes, Refracting and Re- 
flecting. In refracting telescopes, the rays of light pass 
through convex or concave glasses or lenses. The object- 
glass is always convex, and forms an image or picture of 
the object in an inverted position in its focus ; which image 
is viewed by the eye-glass ; and the magnifying power is 
in the proportion of the focal distance of the object-glass 
to that of the eye-glass. The focal distance of a convex 
glass may be ascertained by holding it in the rays of the 
sun, opposite to a piece of white paper, and measuring the 
distance between the glass and the white spot, or burning 
point, formed on the paper. An Astronomical telescope, 
for viewing celestial objects, may be constructed with only 
two glasses. If an object-glass, 30 inches focal distance, 
be fixed in the end of a tube, and an eye-glass of one inch 
focus be placed at the other end, at the distance of 31 
inches from the object-glass, a telescope will be formed 
which will magnify in the proportion of one to thirty, or 30 
times ; that is, objects seen through such a telescope will 
appear thirty times larger in diameter, or thirty times near- 
er than to the naked eye. By such an instrument the ine- 
qualities on the moon's surface, and some of the satellites 
of Jupiter may be perceived ; but when directed to land 
objects, they will appear inverted, or turned upside down# 
In order to reverse the appearance of the object, two other 
eye-glasses are required ; — or, if a concave eye-glass of a 
similar focus be placed at 29 inches from the object-glass, 
the object will appear in its natural position, and the mag- 
nifying power will be the same ; but the field of view will 
be much smaller. Astronomical telescopes of this con- 
struction were formerly made of 120, and even of 200 feet 
in length, and were used without a tube ; the object-glass 
being placed on the top of a long pole ; but these are now 
entirely superseded by Achromatic telescopes. In the 



380 APPENDIX. 

achromatic telescope, the object-glass is compounded of 
two, and sometimes of three lenses, placed close to each 
other, one of which is a double concave of white flint 
glass, and the other a double convex of crown glass. By 
this means an image is formed without being blended with 
the prismatic colors ; and it will, therefore, bear a much 
greater magnifying power than a common refractor. An 
achromatic telescope four feet long, will magnify objects 
as much as a common refractor 100 feet long. 

In Reflecting telescopes the images of objects are form- 
ed by speculums or mirrors, instead of lenses. They are 
of two kinds, the Gregorian, and the Newtonian. The Gre. 
gorian reflector consists of a tube in which a concave 
mirror, having a hole in its centre, is placed. The rays of 
light from distant objects falling upon this mirror, form an 
image before it, in its centre or focus. This image is in. 
tercepted by a smaller mirror, which reflects it back 
through the hole in the large mirror, to an eye -glass, 
through which the observer views the object. In the New- 
tonian Reflector, a plain mirror, placed at an angle of 45 
degrees, is substitued in place of the small mirror in the 
Gregorian construction, and the observer looks down upon 
the object through the side of the tube. Dr. Brewster has 
suggested an interesting improvement in the construction 
of this instrument, which is described in The Edinburgh 
Encyclop. Art. Optics, p. 644. 



New Reflector. — About three years ago the author 
commenced a series of experiments on Reflecting Tele- 
scopes ; and has lately constructed several on a new plan 
and principle. In this construction, there is no small spe- 
culum, either plain, convex, or concave ; there is no tube, 
except a short one of two or three inches in length, for 
holding the speculum. The observer sits with his back to 
the object, and views the image formed by the speculum 
through an eye -piece, which requires to be nicely directed 
and adjusted. Three or four instruments of this construc- 
tion have been fitted up, with specula of 5, 8, 16, 28, 35, 
and 49 inches focal distance. One of them having a spe- 
culum of eight inches focus, and two inches diameter, with 
a terrestrial eye-piece, magnifying about 25 times, forms an 



APPENDIX* 381 

excellent parlour telescope for viewing land objects, and 
exhibits them in a brilliant and novel aspect. When corcu 
pared with a Gregorian of the same size and magnifying 
power, the quantity of light upon the object appears nearly 
doubled, and the image is equally distinct. It represents 
objects in their natural colors, without that dingy and yeU 
lowish tinge which appears when looking through a Gre- 
gorian. Another of these instruments, having a speculum 
of 28 inches focal distance, and an eye-piece producing a 
magnifying power of about 100 times, serves as an excel* 
lent astronomical telescope. By this instrument the belts 
and satellites of Jupiter, the ring of Saturn, and the moun 
tains and cavities of the Moon may be contemplated with 
great ease and distinctness. By placing the pedestal on the 
floor of the apartment, when the object is at a high eleva- 
tion, we can view celestial phenomena with the same ease 
as if we were sitting at a writing-desk reading a book. With 
a magnifying power of about 40 or 50 times applied to this 
telescope, terrestrial objects appear extremely bright and 
well defined. A speculum of 49 inches focal distance, and 
6£ inches diameter, has lately been fitted up on the same 
principle. With magnifying powers of from 100 to 160 
times, it exhibits distinct and interesting views of theMoon's 
surface and of the ring of Saturn, and with a power of 56 
times it affords a beautiful view of land objects. The spe- 
cula used in these instruments are far from being good ; 
being of a yellowish color, and scarcely half polished, and 
having large holes in the centre ; as they were originally 
intended for Gregorian Reflectors ; yet the brightness of 
vision approaches nearly to that of Achromatic Telescopes. 
The experiments which have been made on this subject de- 
monstrate, that a tube is not necessary for a Rellecting Te- 
lescope, when viewing either celestial or terrestrial objects; 
and, therefore, this construction of the instrument may be 
denominated, The Aerial Reflector. The simplicity 
of the construction, and the excellence of the performance 
of these instruments, have been much admired by several 
scientific gentlemen to whom they have been exhibited. 
A Caveat has lately been lodged at the Patent Office, in 
the view of taking out a Patent for this construction of the 
Reflecting telescope ; and a more detailed account of it 



382 APPENDIX* 

will probably soon appear in some of the Scientific Jour- 
nals. 

In the System of Optics, lately published in the Edin* 
burgEncyclopaedia, (one of the most luminous and compre« 
hensive treatises which has yet appeared on this subject,) 
the writer, in his introduction to the account of Dr. Brew- 
ster's improvement on the Newtonian Telescope, remarks : 
— " If we could dispense with the use of the small specula 
in telescopes of moderate length, by inclining the great 
speculum, and using an oblique, and consequently a dis* 
torted reflection, as proposed first by La Maire, we should 
consider the Newtonian Telescope as perfect ; and on a 
large scale, or when the instrument exceeds 20 feet, it has 
undoubtedly this character, as nothing can be more simple 
than to magnify by a single eye-glass, the image formed 
by a single speculum.— As the front view is quite imprac- 
ticable ; and, indeed, has never been attempted in instruments 
of a small size, it becomes of great practical consequence 
to remove as much as possible the evils which arise from the 
use of a small speculum," &c.^-The instruments noticed 
above have effectuated the desirable object alluded to by 
this respectable writer ; and the principle of the construc- 
tion is neither that of Dr. HerschePs front view, nor does it 
coincide with that proposed by La Maire, which seems to 
have been merely a hint, which was never put into execu- 
tion. 



No. IX. p. 293. — On Steam Navigation. 

The application of steam, as a mechanical power, for 
impelling vessels along rivers and seas, is one of the most 
brilliant and useful achievements of art which distinguish 
the present age, and seems destined to produce an important 
and interesting change in the general intercourse of nations. 
From the " Report of a Committee of Parliament," publish- 
ed in 1822, it appears that the first application of steam to 
the impelling of vessels, was made by an Englishman of the 
name of Hull, who, in 1736, obtained a patent for the in- 
vention of a steam-boat, to be moved with a crank and 
paddles. But it was only in 1807, that the invention was 
fairly brought into practical use, by Mr. Fulton, an Ame- 
rican, who had the assistance and advice of Mr. Bell, a 



APPENDIX. 383 

Scotch engineer. There are now, according to Mr. Per- 
kins' statement, about 300 Steam-boats on the rivers, bays, 
and coasts of the United States, varying in their size from 
100 to 700 tons. In Britain, the first successful applica. 
tion of steam to vessels, was made by the above-mentioned 
Mr. Bell,* who built the Comet, of 25 tons and four 
horse power, to ply on the Clyde. There are now reck- 
oned about 150 Steam-boats, from 40 to 500 tons, plying 
on the rivers and coasts of the British isles. Glasgow, 
which had the honor of introducing steam navigation on 
this side of the Atlantic, is still the seat of its greatest acti- 
vity. According to a statement given in the " Edinburgh 
Philosophical Journal," published in July, 1822, there 
were then no less than 36 Steam-boats, of various sizes, 
plying on the Clyde. Some of these, besides performing 
regular voyages to Inverary, Campbelton, Belfast, Liver- 
pool, and other places, are also performing tours, during 
the summer months, to the Giant's Causeway, Staffa, Skye, 
and other parts of the Western Isles, and to Inverness by 
the Caledonian Canal. Steam-boats are also plying be- 
tween Aberdeen and Leith — between Newhaven and Ab- 
erdour, Bruntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkaldy and Dysart ; and 
to Queensferry, Alloa, Grangemouth and Sterling — be- 
tween Leith and London — Dover and Calais. One has 
been plying for several years on Loch-Lomond, which 
enables the traveller, at a small expense, to take an inter- 
esting view of the diversified scenery of that beautiful 
lake. Five are just now plying on the Tay ; two of which, 
with engines of 30 and 40 horse powers, and fitted up with 
elegant accommodation, ply daily between Perth and Dun- 
dee ; each of them, during most of the summer months, 
transporting nearly a hundred passengers at every trip. 

Steam navigation, though less understood on the Conti- 
nent than with us, is now beginning to make considerable 
progress. There are eight Steam-boats on the Garonne, 

* It is much to be regretted, and it is certainly not congenial to 
the liberal spirit of the age, that this gentleman, who was among the 
first inventors of steam navigation, and who has done so much to pro- 
mote its success in the neighborhood of Glasgow, has never received 
any public reward for his exertion?, and has been left to sink into a 
state approaching to poverty. 



384 APPENDIX, 

and several on the Seine. There are two on the lake of 
Geneva, and two are about to be established on the Lake 
Constance, and there are, besides, one or two on the Dan- 
ube. It is likely that in the course of a few years, such 
conveyances will be established on all our Friths and Ri- 
vers, and the period is no doubt hastening on, when ex- 
cursions will be taken, in such vehicles, between Europe 
and America. A Steam-boat of 700 tons burden, and 100 
horse power, has sailed regularly, summer and winter, for 
three or four years, between New York and New Orleans, 
a distance of 2000 miles, in an open sea, exposed to great 
storms ; and by many she is preferred to the packets, not 
only for the certainty of making shorter voyages, but on 
account of greater safety. In America, Steam vessels are 
fitted up with e\ ery accommodation and elegance which 
art can devise ; so as to produce, if possible, as great a 
variety of enjoyment to passengers on sea, as on land. Mr. 
Church, the American Consul in France, has invented a 
paddle, which revolves on the paddle-wheel, by very simple 
mechanism, which is found to save power. In the United 
States, a new mode of constructing cabins has been lately 
introduced, so as to place them beyond the reach of injury 
from explosions of the boiler. A steam vessel of a large 
size has lately been fitted up, which is intended to sail be- 
tween London and Calcutta. 

" Steam vessels have been built in this country from 10 
to 500 tons, and from 3 or 4 to 110 horse power. The 
length of the " City of Edinburgh" on the upper deck, is 143 
feet ; and some have lately been constructed of still larger 
dimensions. The American steam-boats are larger than 
ours, and are much more used for the conveyance of mer- 
chandise. The Frontinac, which plies on the Canadian 
side of Lake Ontario, is 170 feet long on deck, and 32 feet 
broad ; and the Chancellor Livingston, which plies on the 
Hudson, is of the same size. The velocity aimed at is ge- 
nerally 8 or 9 miles an hour. The proportion is, on an 
average, about one horse power for every 4 tons of burden, 
computed in the usual way. The velocity is found to be 
nearly as the square root of the power, so that an 80 horse 
power engine will produce only twice the velocity of one 
of 20 horse power. Something depends also on the make 



APPENDIX, 385 

and size of the vessel. The "Sovereign," of 210 tons, 
and 80 horse power, goes 9f miles an hour in still water ; 
and the " James Watt," of 448 tons, and 100 horse pow- 
er, is stated to go ten miles. For the paddle-boards, the 
rule is, that 3-10ths of a square foot of surface should be 
immersed in the water for each horse power. The paddle- 
wheels vary from 10 to 15 feet in diameter, dip from 12 to 
20 inches in the water, and have about one foot in breadth 
for each ten horse power. Mr. Gladstone affirms, that so 
much power is wasted in displacing the water by the stroke 
of the board, that the velocity of the ship is only about one 
half of that of the* outer surface of the paddle-wheel. 

" There are two sources of apprehension in steam-boats 
—fire, and the bursting of the boiler. With regard to the 
latter, when the boiler is of low pressure, it is satisfactorily 
established that not the smallest danger exists. And in 
the best constructed vessels, the danger from fire is com- 
pletely obviated, by separating the furnace from the sides 
of the vessel by five inches of water." — The power of 
steam is now rendered subservient to the breaking of stones 
for the construction of roads. The stones are put into a 
kind of hopper above, and pushed down with a rake, and 
the machine is worked by a rotatory motion of one horse 
power ; and will break a ton of hard pebbles, completely, 
in from six to eight minutes. A steam machine has also 
been invented for the dressing of woollen cloth, which does 
as much work in 50 minutes as two men could do in two 
days. Mon. Mag. Aug. 1823, p. 71.— A steam carriage, 
for conveying goods and passengers on land, was lately 
constructing by Mr. Griffiths .Its rate of motion, on com- 
mon roads, is estimated at five miles an hour, at an aver- 
age ; about three miles when going up nill, and above 
seven when running down. But pecuniary embarrass- 
ments, or other impediments, ha^e hitherto prevented 
the completion of his design, 

Mr. Perkins has lately made improvements on the steam 
engine, which promise to carry its powers to a high degree 
of perfection. The engine he has lately constructed is cal- 
culated to a ten horse power, though the cylinder is no 
more than two inches in diameter, and 18 inches long, with 
a stroke of only 12 inches. Although the space occupied 

33 



386 APPENDIX. 

by the engine is not more than six feet by eight, yet Mr, 
P. considers the apparatus (with the exception of the 
working cylinder and piston) perfectly sufficient for a 
thirty horse engine. When the engine performs full 
work, it consumes only two bushels of coal in the day. 
Mr. Perkins has also announced a discovery still more 
extraordinary, viz. that he has been able "to arrest the heat, 
after it has performed its mechanical functions, and actu- 
ally pump it back to the generator, to unite with a fresh 
portion of water, and renew its useful labors." A parti- 
cular account of Perkins 5 engine, accompanied with an 
engraving, is given in the Edin. Philcfs. Journal, No. 17, 
for July 1823. The pretensions of Mr. Perkins, however, 
have not yet been so fully substantiated by experiment as 
to satisfy the anxious expectation of the public. 

An interesting Report has lately been published of a 
series of experiments, made with a new steam engine, in- 
vented by an American mechanist, called the capillary 
steam engine. Three great objects are said to be accom- 
plished by this invention, lightness, safety, and economy of 
fuel. In an engine calculated for a four horse power, the 
generator is formed of a copper tube, \ inch in diameter, 
and 100 feet long, which weighs about 16 lbs. It is ar. 
ranged in coils, one above another, in the form of a sugar 
loaf, 30 inches high ; the bottom coil being 18 inches in 
diameter, and the top one considerably less. The wood 
is prepared as is usual for a stove, and put within the coils. 
The steam cylinder is formed of sheet copper, three inches 
in diameter, 27 inches in stroke, and with all its appendages, 
weighs about 25 lbs. It has been ascertained, that the ge- 
nerator and main cylinder, with their contents and appen- 
dages, exclusive of fuel, need not weigh more than 20 lbs. 
to the horse powei. No harm can be done by the bursting 
of boilers — even a safety -valve is considered as useless. 
In the course of the experiments, the experimenters several 
times burst the tube ; but so far from doing any injury-, it 
could not always be perceived by the spectators/ To ascer- 
tain what may be done towards aerial navigation, by steam, 
experiments were made on the power of wings in the air. 
and on the power necessary to work them. The result is. 
that it requires a horse power to carry 30 lbs. in the air : so 



APPENDIX. 381 

that a flying engine, to be worked by charcoal, would 
weigh about 30 lbs. to the horse power, wings, condenser 
and fuel included. It was also ascertained by experiments 
and calculations, that a balloon could be made to carry a 
man with an engine, which would push it at the rate of 15 
miles an hour in the air. A more particular detail of 
these experiments may be seen in the " London Mecha- 
nics' Magazine, No. 60, for 16th October, 1824. 



No. X. p. 360. — Structures on a certain sentiment respect- 
ing the Work of Human Redemption. 

The sentiment referred to in this paragraph, " That 
there never was, nor never will be, through all the ages of 
eternity, so wonderful a display of the Divine glory, as in 
the cross of Christ," has been reiterated a thousand times.. 

Ill Seriliuns and in cystoma of divinity, and ia still repeated 

by certain preachers, as if it were an incontrovertible 
axiom, which ought never to be called in question ; and is 5 
no doubt, intended to magnify the Divine attributes, and 
the work of redemption. But it is nothing more than a 
presumptuous assumption, which has a tendency to limit 
the perfections of Deity, and to present a partial and dis- 
torted view of the economy of human redemption. For, 
in the first place, it has no foundation in Scripture, 
There is not a single passage from which it can be legiti- 
mately deduced. The onus proband^ on this point, rests 
with those who make the assertion. A gentleman, when 
lately conversing on this subject, brought forward the fol- 
lowing interrogation, as a demonstrative argument in proof 
of the position in question : " Is not Redemption declared 
in Scripture to be the chief of all the works of God ?" but 
he was not a little surprised, when he was informed, that 
the passage, which he had partly misquoted, is applied to 
the Behemoth, or the Elephant, as stated in Job xl. 19.— 
2dly, The assertion is as presumptuous as it is unfounded. 
It takes for granted, that we know all the events which 
have already happened, and which are now taking place 
throughout the whole range of God's Universal Empire. 
This empire appears unbounded ; and that portion of it 
which we can minutely explore, is but as a point in conv 



38S APPENDIX. 

parison of the whole. But before we can, on good 
grounds, hazard such an assertion as that under consi- 
deration, we must have explored all the dispensations of 
God, through every portion of his vast dominions ; and be 
able to form a comparison between the different displays 
of Divine glory, made to all the different classes of intel- 
lectual beings, under the government of the Creator. And 
who, among the sons of Adam, can lay claim to such 
high qualifications for pronouncing so sweeping a decision 
on this point ? 3dly, It sets limits to the Divine perfections 
and operations. For although it could be proved, (which 
it cannot be,) that no such displays have hitherto been 
made to any other beings, yet who can take upon him to 
assert, that displays of Divine perfection, far more glorious 
and astonishing, will not be exhibited during the countless 
ages of eternity which are yet to come ? To set limits to 
the operations of Almighty Power and Boundless Benevo- 
lence, during the lapoo of infinite duration, is llOt the prO- 

vince of any created intelligence, and far less of man, who 
stands so low in the scale of universal being. 4thly, It 
tends to damp the hopes and prospects of immortal beings. 
when looking forward to an interminable existence. For. 
this sentiment leads them to conclude that they are al- 
ready acquainted with the greatest display of Divine glory 
which can be made ; and that, whatever scenes of won- 
der may be exhibited in the future world, they must, of 
course, be all inferior to this, in point of extent and 
grandeur. 

The Redemption of the human race, as displayed in the 
Christian Revelation, is a theme sufficiently grand, asto- 
nishing, and interesting, to command the attention of all 
who are convinced that they belong to an apostate race of 
intelligences, and to excite the admiration and gratitude 
of all who have experienced its benefits ; and it stands in 
no need of such unfounded and extravagant assertions, to 
display its riches and glory. " Will a man speak deceit, 
fully for God ? Shall not his excellency make you afraid, 
and his dread fall upon you ?" — We pronounce nothing 
decisively on this subject. We feel ourselves chained 
down to an obscure corner of God's dominions, to be in 
the very infancy of our knowledge, and withal, to be cor- 



APPENDIX. 389 

nected with a race of beings whose " understandings are 
darkened by reason of sin ;" and are therefore unable to 
pronounce an infallible decision on what God will, or will 
not do. Were we to hazard a conjecture on this subject, 
we should say that the converse of the proposition under 
consideration is more probable than the proposition itself. 
We can conceive worlds ten thousand times more popu- 
lous than ours, and peopled with a higher order of intel- 
lectual beings, towards whom a similar display of Benevo- 
lence and Mercy, were it necessary, may be made ; and, 
therefore, in point of the extent of its objects, we can con- 
ceive the Love of God more illustriously manifested than 
even to the inhabitants of our globe. But whether such 
an event shall ever take place, it would be presumption in 
us to determine. For the thoughts and the ways of God 
as far transcends ours, " as the heavens are high above the 
earth." It demands our highest tribute of grateful adora- 
tion, that the Almighty condescended to " regard us in our 
low estate," and to deliver us from the moral degradation 
into which we had fallen ; but surely it would be unrea- 
sonable to conclude, from this consideration, that, of all 
the rational tribes which people the universe, Man is the 
only favorite of the Most High, " when thousand worlds 
are round." Though myriads of other intelligences were 
to share in similar favors, it would not lessen the happi- 
ness conferred on us, nor ought it in the least to detract 
from our admiration of " the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." 

There are a great many other vague and untenable no- 
tions which are entertained and reiterated by certain com- 
mentators and divines, as indisputable axioms, which it 
would be of importance to the cause of Religion to dis- 
card ; such as— that angels are pure immaterial sub- 
stances—that they were formed on the first day of the 
Mosaic creation— that the wisdom of God is no where so il- 
lustriously displayed throughout the universe as in the 
scheme of redemption— -that the chief employment of the 
future world will be to pry into the mysteries of salvation 
- — that sin is an infinite evil-— that the whole material uni- 
verse was brought into existence at the same time with our 
earth — that the Creator ceased to create anv new order of 

33* 



390 APPENDIX. 

beings in the universe, after arranging the fabric of our 
globe — that the whole system of material nature in hea- 
ven and earth, will be destroyed at the period of the disso- 
lution of our world — that our thoughts and affections 
should be completely detached from all created things, &c. 
&c. — Several vague notions of this description are founded 
on the false assumption, that the globe we inhabit, and 
the rational beings that have appeared on its surface from 
age to age, are the chief objects of God's superintendence 
and care — and that the Scriptures are the only medium 
through which we can view the plans and the operations of 
the Deity — assumptions, which are contrary to reason, 
which are unwarranted in Revelation, nay, which are di- 
rectly contradicted in numerous passages of Scripture, 
some of which have already been referred to in the course 
of this volume. It would be of essential service to the 
cause of Christianity, that its doctrines, facts, and moral 
requisitions were uniformly exhibited in their native sim- 
plicity and grandeur, without being obscured and distorted 
by the vague and extravagant representations with which 
they are too frequently blended by injudicious minds. 



No. XL 



As authority has a considerable degree of weight on 
some minds, I shall conclude with an extract on the sub- 
ject of this volume, from that respectable and enlightened 
divine, Dr. Dwight, late President of Yale College : — 
" The works of God were by him intended to be, and are 
in fact, manifestations of himself ; proofs of his character, 
presence, and agency. In this light he requires men con- 
tinually to regard them : and to refuse this regard is con- 
sidered by him as grossly wicked, and highly deserving of 
punishment, Psalm xxviii. 5. Isa. v. 12 — 14. I am appre- 
hensive, that even good men are prone to pay less atten- 
tion to the works of creation and providence than piety 
demands, and the Scriptures require. We say and hear so 
much concerning the insufficiency of these works to unfold 
the character of God, and the nature of genuine religion, 
that we are prone to consider them as almost uninstructive 
in moral things, and in a great measure useless to the pro* 



APPENDIX. 391 

motion of piety. This, however, is a palpable and dan- 
gerous error. The works alone, without the aid of the 
Scriptures, would, I acknowledge, be far less instructive 
than they now are, and utterly insufficient to guide us in 
the way of righteousness. The Scriptures were designed 
to be a comment on these works ; to explain their nature/ 
and to show us the agency, purposes, wisdom and good- 
ness of God in their formation. Thus explained, thus il- 
luminated, they become means of knowledge, very ex- 
tensive and eminently useful. He who does not find in 
the various, beautiful, sublime, awful and astonishing ob- 
jects presented to us in Creation and Providence, irre- 
sistible and glorious reasons, for admiring, adoring, loving 
and praising his Creator, has not a claim to evangelical 
piety." — System of Theology, vol. iii. p. 477. 



No. XII. — List of Popular Works on the different Sciences 
treated of in this volume, with occasional Remarks. 

SELECT BOOKS ON NATURAL HISTORY. 

" Goldsmith's History of the Earth, and animated na- 
ture," with notes by T. Brown, Esq. pub. at Manchester, 
6. vols. 8vo. The copious notes appended to this edition, 
contain an account of the latest discoveries, and form a 
valuable addition to the original work. " The Gallery of 
Nature and Art," by Dr. Mason Good and others, 6 vols. 
8vo. " Spectacle de la Nature," or Nature Displayed, 7 
vols. 12mo. " Nature Displayed," by Dr. Simeon Shaw, 
3 vols. 8vo. or in 6 vols. 12mo. This work, though 
chiefly a compilation, embodies a great variety of inter- 
esting and popular descriptions of the most remarkable 
facts in the system of nature, which are illustrated with 
numerous engravings, both plain and colored. Clarke's 
u Hundred Wonders of the World," 1 vol. 12mo. and 
Piatt's " Book of Curiosities," contain a number of in- 
teresting selections on this subject. Smellie's " Philoso- 
phy of Natural History," 2 vols. 4to. and his translation 
of "Buffbn's Natural History." Works entitled " Sys- 
tem" and " Elements" of " Natural History," are nume- 
rous ; but the greatest part of them is confined to descrip- 
tions of the forms, habits, and instincts of animals. On 



392 APPENDIX. 

this department of natural science, a work is just now in 
course of publication, by the celebrated Cuvier, entitled 
" The Animal Kingdom" with engravings, chiefly from 
the living subjects in the Museum of Natural History at 
Paris. A popular and comprehensive History of the facts 
which have been ascertained respecting the earth, the at- 
mosphere, the meteors, the heavens, &c. calculated for 
general readers, and interspersed with appropriate moral 
and religious reflections, is still a desideratum. The facts 
of Natural History, next to the facts recorded in the Sa- 
cred Volume, are the first subjects to which the minds of 
the young should be directed in the course of a general 
education. 

SELECT BOOKS OS GEOGRAPHY. 

Pinkerton's Modern Geography, 2 vols. 4to. and the 
Abridgment, 1 vol. 8vo. Guthrie's Geographical Gram- 
mar. The Glasgow Geography, in 5 vols. 8vo. This 
work comprehends an immense mass of information, on 
the historical and descriptive parts of Geography. It also 
contains comprehensive oompends of Astronomy, Geology. 
Meteorology, &c. Malte Brun's " System of Geography/' 
8vo. The English translation of this work, when comple- 
ted, will comprise the fullest and most comprehensive view 
of Universal Geography that has yet appeared in our lan- 
guage, including details of the most recent discoveries. 
Five volumes of the English translation have already ap- 
peared. The first volume contains a luminous and com- 
prehensive outline of the science of Geology and Physical 
and Mathematical Geography. Myer's "System of Mo- 
dern Geography," with maps, views, engravings represent- 
ing costumes, &c. 2 large vols. 4to. Cooke's "System of 
Universal Geography," in 2 very large quarto vols, closeh 
printed, contains a great variety of interesting sketches in 
relation to Descriptive Geography, extracted from the 
writings of Modern Voyagers and Travellers ; the details 
of incidents, &c. being related, for the most part, in the 
words of the respective authors from whom the informa- 
tion is collected. Winterbotham's " Geographical and 
Historical View of the United Stares of America, 6:c."4 
vols. 8vo. Morse's " American Geography," 8vo. Gold- 
smith's " Geography on a popular plan." contains an in- 



APPENDIX. 393 

teresting account of the manners and customs of nations^ 
for the entertainment and instruction of the young, illus- 
trated with above 60 engravings. Of smaller systems, 
there is a great abundance in the English language, but 
most of them are extremely deficient, particularly in what 
relates to General Geography. On Sacred Geography, 
Wells' Geography, modernized by the Editor of Calmet's 
Dictionary, is the most complete work of its kind. On 
Physical or General Geography — Playfair's System of 
Geography, vol. 1. and Varenius' General Geography. A 
Modern system of General Geography, in a separate 
form, on the plan of Varenius, is a desideratum. Edin* 
Ency. Art. Geography — Sup. to Ency. Brit. Art. Physical 
Geography, &c. &c. Books of Voyages and Travels, ge- 
nerally contain the most circumstantial details of the phy- 
sical aspects of the different countries, and of the dispo- 
sitions and customs of their inhabitants ; and present to 

tlit; view u£ the Christian Philanthropist, those facts and 

incidents, from which the moral state and character of the 
various tribes of human beings may be inferred. The foU 
lowing works contain comprehensive abridgments of the 
most celebrated voyages and travels. " Pinkerton's Ge* 
neral Collection of Voyages and Travels in all parts of 
the world," 17 vols. 4to. " Mayor's Voyages," &c. 28 
vols. 18mo. "The World displayed," 18 vols. lSmo. 
■" Philips' Collection of Voyages and Travels," &c. 

The following are among the most respectable modern 
publications on this subject, arranged according to the dif- 
ferent quarters of the World. Asia. " Valencia's Tra- 
vels in India, Arabia," &c. " Porter's Travels in Geor- 
gia, Armenia," &c. " Golownin's Travels in Japan." 
" Staunton's Account of Macartney's Embassy to China." 
" Raffles' Travels in Java." " Clarke's Travels in Asia 
Minor, and the Holy Land." " Chateaubriand's Travels 
in Palestine." "AH Bey's Travels in Arabia." " Mo- 
rier's Travels through Persia," &c. &c. Africa. " Ly- 
on's Travels in Northern Africa. Burckhard's Travels 
in Nubia, Bruce's Travels in Abyssinia. Salt's Tra* 
vels in Abyssinia. Bowdich, Hutton, and Dupuis' Ac- 
count of Ashantee. Leigh's Jour, in Egypt. Belzoni's 
Travels in Egypt, Sonini's Travels in Egypt. Barrow's, 



394 APPENDIX. 

BurchelPs, and Campbell's Travels in Southern Africa. 
&c. &c. America. Howison's Sketches of Upper Ca- 
nada. Fearon's Sketches of the United States. Miss 
Wright's Views of Society in the United States. Hum- 
boldt's Travels in South America. Duncan's Travels in 
the United States. Luccock's, Vidal's, Roster's and Hall's 
Travels in South America, &c. Europe. Henderson's 
and Mackenzie's Travels in Iceland. Thomson's Travels 
in Sweden. Carr's Travels in Russia, Denmark, &c. 
Pallas' Travels in Russia. Wraxall's, Neale's, Coxe's, 
and Lemaistre's Tours through France, Switzerland, Ger- 
many, &c. Bourgoing's and Jacob's Travels in Spain. 
Brydon's Tour in Sicily, &c. Von Buch's Travels in 
Norway and Lapland. Cochrane's Travels in Siberia, &c. 
Cook's, Anson's, Byron's, Perouse's, and Bouganville's 
Voyages round the World, &c. Prior's Universal Travel- 
ler, 1 thick vol. 12mo. closely printed with 100 engravings. 

SELECT BOOKS ON GEOLOGY. 

Kirwan's " Mineralogy," and his " Geological Essays." 
De Luc's " Geology," and his "Geological Travels." 
Parkinson's " Organic Remains of a former World," 3 
vols. 4to. " The Fossils of the South Downs, or Illustra- 
tions of the Geology of Sussex, by G. Mantel, F. L. S." 
The preliminary Essay to this splendid Work, contains 
several excellent remarks respecting the connection of Ge- 
ology with Religion, which are calculated to advance the 
interests of both. Cuvier's " Essay on the Theory of 
the Earth," with illustrations by Professor Jameson ; 4th 
edition. Playfair's illustrations of the Huttonian Theory 
of the Earth. Transactions of the Geological and Wer- 
nerian Societies. Jameson's Mineralogy. Buckland's 
Account of the discovery of a den of Hyenas in a cavern 
in Yorkshire. Philips' "Outlines of Mineralogy and Ge- 
ology," 12mo. This last work forms a good introduction 
to the study of Geology, for those who are just commencing 
their inquiries on this subject. The object of this science, 
in the mean time, should be confined chiefly to the collect- 
ing of facts in reference to the structure of the earth, and 
the changes it has undergone. The exterior aspect of our 
globe, and its internal recesses, must be still more exten^ 



APPENDIX. 395 

sively explored, before any theory of the earth can be es- 
tablished on a broad and solid foundation. It should be 
left to future ages to build a system with the materials we 
are now preparing. 

POPULAR WORKS ON ASTRONOMY. 

Brewster's " Ferguson's Astronomy," 2 vols. 8vo. with 
a vol. of plates. The notes and supplementary chapters of 
this work, written by Dr. Brewster, contain a full and com- 
prehensive detail of all the modern discoveries in this sci- 
ence. " Bonnycastle's Introduction to Astronomy," 1 vol. 
8vo. La Place's " System of the World," 2 vols. 8vo, 
Dr. Olinthus Gregory's Astronomy, 1 vol. 8vo. Mrs. Bry- 
an's " System of Astronomy," 8vo. Dr. Mylne's " Ele-* 
mentary Treatise on Astronomy," 8vo. Adam's "Astro- 
nomical and Geographical Essays," 8vo. Philips' " Eight 
Familiar Lectures on Astronomy," 12mo. Squire's 
" Grammar of Astronomy," one thick vol. 18mo. closely 
printed, and illustrated with 35 plates. The " Wonders of 
the Heavens," 12mo. This work contains a popular view 
of the principal facts of Astronomy, and is illustrated with 
50 elegant engravings, of a variety of interesting objects 
connected with the scenery of the heavens ; but its discus- 
sions are too frequently blended with the peculiarities of a 
modern physical theory. Martin's " Gentleman and La- 
dy's Philosophy," vol. 1. Derham's Astro-Theology," 
and Whiston's " Astronomical Principles of Religion," 
8vo. Baxter's " Matho," 2 vols. &c. An elegant and 
comprehensive outline of the leading facts of astronomy, in 
their relation to Revealed Religion, will be found in Dr, 
Chalmers' " Discourses on the Christian Revelation, view- 
ed in connection with Modern Astronomy," 8vo. The 
general reader, in commencing his study of this science, 
will find Bonnycastle's " Introduction" a very interesting 
work. It is written in an elegant and animated style, and 
is agreeably interspersed with a number of appropriate re- 
flections ; but it is deficient in the detail of modern disco- 
veries. He might next proceed to the perusal of Ferguson^ 
Gregory, Squire, &c. La Place's work contains a beauti- 
ful exposition of the Newtonian System, but it is glaringly 
deficient in a reference to the Wisdom and Agency of a 



396 APPENDIX. 

Supreme Intelligence. " An undevout astronomer is mad. r 
Baxter's " Matho," contains a popular and interesting view 
of this subject, and forms a striking contrast to the apathy 
of La Place, who carefully keeps out of view the agency 
of the Creator— the main design of this author being to 
connect the phenomena of the heavens and the earth with 
the attributes of Deity, and the high destination of immor- 
tal minds. Though this work passed through three edi- 
tions, it does not seem to have been appreciated according 
to its merits. As it has now become scarce, a new edition, 
with notes, containing a detail of modern discoveries, 
might be an acceptable present to the public. Those who 
wish to prosecute this subject to a greater extent, may be 
referred to " Long's Astronomy," 2 vols. 4to. Robinson's 
" Mechanical Philosophy," vol. 1. Vince's "Complete 
System of Astronomy," 3 vols. 4to. " La Lande Astro- 
nomie" 3 vols. 4to. ; and Biot's "Traite Elementaire 
d'Astronomie Physique." A comprehensive work on Des- 
criptive Astronomy, detailing in a popular manner, all the 
facts which have been ascertained respecting the scenery 
of the heavens, accompanied with a variety of striking 
delineations, and interspersed with appropriate moral re- 
flections, accommodated to the general reader, is a deside- 
ratum. 

SELECT BOOKS ON NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 

Hauy's Elementary treatise on Natural Philosophy," 
translated by Dr. O. Gregory, 2 vols. 8vo. This transla- 
tion contains a number of valuable notes by the translator. 
Ferguson's " Lectures on Select Subjects in Mecha- 
nics," &c. by Dr. Brewster, 2 vols. 8vo. with a vol. of 
plates. The Appendix to this work by Dr. Brewster, con- 
tains a mass of valuable information on Mechanics, Hy- 
draulics, Dialling, and the construction of Optical Instru- 
ments ; besides a variety of illustrative notes interspersed 
through the body of the work. A new edition of this work, 
comprising a detailed account of the recent discoveries in 
Experimental Philosophy, has been lately published. 
Nicholson's " Introduction to Natural Philosophy," 2 vols. 
8vo. Cavallo's " Complete Treatise on Natural and Ex- 
perimental Philosophy," 4 vols, 8vo. Martin's " Philo- 



APPENDIX, 391 

sophia Britannica," 3 vols. 8vo. His " Gentleman and 
Lady's Philosophy," 3 vols. 8vo. and his " Philosophical 
Grammar," 1 vol. 8vo. Gregory's " Economy of Nature," 
3 vols. 8vo. and his " Lectures on Experimental Philoso- 
phy, Astronomy, and Chemistry," 2 vols. 12mo. Joyce's 
" Letters on Experimental Philosophy," 2 vols. 12mo e 
and his " Scientific Dialogues," 6 vols. 18mo. Adam's 
" Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy," 4 
vols. 8vo. with a vol. of plates. Young's " Lectures on 
Natural Philosophy," 2 vols. 8vo. Walker's system of 
" Familiar Philosophy," 4to. in 12 lectures, with 47 quarto 
engravings. " Conversations on Natural Philosophy," by 
the Author of" Conversations on Chemistry," 1 thick vol. 
12mo. with 23 engravings. Blair's " Grammar of Natu- 
ral and Experimental Philosophy," especially the late edi- 
tions, contains (at a small price) a comprehensive view of 
the principal departments of Philosophy, including Astro- 
nomy, Geology, Chemistry, Meteorology, &c. Euler's 
" Letters to a German Princess," 2 vols. 8vo. contains a 
popular view of the most interesting subjects connected 
with Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Logic, and 
Ethics. This work is distinguished by a vein of dignified 
and scriptural piety, which runs through every part of it. 
Euler was one of the most distinguished philosophers and 
anathematicians of his day. He died in 1783, at the age 
of 77. A new edition of this work, with notes by Dr. 
Brewster, has been lately published. These notes are ex- 
cellent, so far as they extend ; but it is to be regretted that 
they are so sparingly distributed, and that the passages 
suppressed by M. Condorcet, and De la Croix, which were 
restored by Dr. Hunter, who translated the work, and the 
notes of the French and English editors, are, for the most 
part, discarded. Notwithstanding the numerous excellent 
treatises which are to be found on this subject, a compre- 
hensive work on experimental Philosophy, blended with 
sketches of those parts of natural history, which are con- 
jiected with it, and enlivened with appropriate reflection? 
on the peculiar agencies of Deity, which appear in the va- 
rious processes of nature — is still wanting to interest the 
.general reader, and to attract his attention to this depart- 
ment of knowledge* Were philosophers in their discus 

34 



398 APPENDIX, 

sions of natural science, mote frequently to advert to the 
agency of the Deity, and to point out the religious and 
philanthropic purposes to which modern discoveries might 
be applied, they might be the means of promoting, at the 
same time, the interests both of science and of religion ; 
by alluring general readers to direct their attention to such 
subjects ; and by removing those groundless prejudices 
which a great proportion of the Christian world still en- 
tertain against philosophical studies. About the period 
when Boyle, Ray, Derham, Nieuwentyt, Whiston, Addi- 
son, the Abbe Pluche, and other Christian Philosophers 
flourished, more attention seems to have been paid to this 
object than at present. Since the middle of the last cen- 
tury, the piety of philosophers appears to have been great- 
ly on the decline. It is to be hoped that it is now begin- 
ning to experience a revival. But, whatever may be the 
varying sentiments and feelings of mere philosophers, in 
reference to the agencies of the material system — " all 
the works of God invariably speak of their Author," to 
the humble and enlightened Christian ; and if he be di- 
rected to contemplate the order of nature, with an eye of 
intelligence, he will never be at a loss to trace the foot- 
steps and the attributes of his Father and his God. 

SELECT BOOKS ON CHEMISTRY. 

Davy's Elements of Chemical Philosophy, 8vo. lire's 
Dictionary of Chemistry, on the basis of Mr. Nicholson's, 
one large vol. 8vo. Henry's Epitome of Chemistry, 2 vols. 
8vo. Accum's Chemistry, 2 vols. 8vo. Thomson's Sys. 
tern of Chemistry, 4 vols. 8vo. Murray's System of Che- 
mistry, 4 vols. 8vo. and Appendix. Kerr's translation of 
Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry, 8vo. Chaptal's Che- 
mistry applied to the Arts, 4 vols. 8vo. Fourcroy's Che- 
mistry, 4 vols. Accum's " Chemical Amusements," and 
Griffin's "Chemical Recreations," contain a description of 
a variety of interesting chemical facts, and amusing expe- 
riments. Gurney's " Lectures on the Elements of Che- 
mical Science," 8vo. Mackenzie's " One Thousand Ex. 
periments in Chemistry," &c. Mitchell's " Dictionary of 
Chemistry." Conversations on Chemistry, by a Lady, 2 
vols. 12mo. Joyce's Dialogues on Chemistry. 2 vols. 



APPENDIX. 399 

18mo. Parkes' " Rudiments of Chemistry," 18mo. and 
his " Chemical Catechism," 8vo. The four works last 
mentioned may be recommended as popular introductions 
to the study of this science. Parkes' " Rudiments" and 
u Catechism" are distinguished by their constant reference 
to the agency of the Deity, and by the anxiety which the 
author displays to fix the attention of his readers on the 
evidences of benevolent design which appear in the con- 
stitution of Nature. The numerous notes appended to 
the " Chemical Catechism," embody a great variety of 
interesting facts in reference to the economy of nature, 
and the processes of the arts. To this amiable and intel- 
ligent writer I feel indebted for several of the chemical 
facts stated in this volume. 



THE END. 



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